CUTTACK: The Odisha government appointed senior advocate Pitambar Acharya as the new Advocate General (AG) on Friday.
A notification issued by the Law department said, “In pursuance of Clause (I) of the Article 165 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of Odisha is pleased to appoint Pitambar Acharya, Senior Advocate, High Court of Orissa to be the Advocate General for the State of Odisha with immediate effect.”
The AG’s position was lying vacant after Ashok Kumar Parija resigned on June 6 after the fall of BJD government in the state. Government advocate Jyoti Prakash Pattnaik was officiating as the in-charge AG on orders of the Law department.
One of the top lawyers of the state, Acharya is also a BJP leader who had contested against former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from Hinjili in 2019. He also served as the saffron party’s spokesperson.
After his appointment, Acharya said his focus will be to ensure common people get justice. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for reposing faith by appointing him to this constitutional post, Acharya said he will keep the dignity of the post and ensure common people participate more in legal process to get justice.
“I will try to discharge the constitutional duty with integrity and respect to the profession,” he added. Stating that the government is pro-people, Acharya said he will try his best on behalf of the government to ensure that a common man gets all legal facilities.
A post-graduate in Political Science and Law degree holder from Utkal University, Acharya joined the high court bar in 1991. The Orissa HC designated him as senior advocate in 2011 when he was 49.
Prior to his appointment as AG, Acharya was the senior standing counsel of the State Election Commission and Odisha Legislative Assembly. Besides, he was the standing counsel of central government and Odisha Tourism Development Corporation. He was also the legal retainer of Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology and Odisha Mining Corporation Limited.
Acharya also appeared for leading public sector undertakings and corporate bodies of the country in various kinds of litigation. He was the counsel for former state BJP president Samir Mohanty who had filed the PIL before the Orissa HC seeking reopening of the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri.