Goa's AG paid more than India's President- Utt Goenkara

Panaji, Apr 30 (UNI) Utt Goenkara (NGO) today reiterated its demand that India's highest paid Advocate General Subodh Kantak be removed for having been, over the last three years, an unwanted burden to the Goa state exchequer.

Speaking to media persons here Utt Goenkara spokesman Adv Aires Rodrigues has stated that Mr Kantak who has been found to be doubly and excessively billing the state exchequer is getting paid more than the President of India.

He said that Mr Kantak had lost all moral authority to continue in the high constitutional post as Advocate General and cautioned that now merely lowering the AG's fees and bringing them on par with other states would not be enough. Mr Kantak has to be sacked for having brought irreparable disrepute and disgrace to the post of advocate general by blatantly bleeding the state exchequer.

Mr Rodrigues warned that if Mr Kantak is let off lightly it would send a wrong message to the rank and file in Goa's administrative set-up.

Appreciating the decision of the Goa government to bring the Advocate General's fees on par with other states, Adv Rodrigues demanded that the change should be with retrospective effect from the date when the fees were increased to Rs 8,000 per case per day and that all excess amount paid to Mr Kantak should be recovered from him.

Welcoming the decision by the Goa police to initiate a probe into the allegations against Advocate General Mr Kantak, Adv Rodriques wondered whether the police would have a free hand in the investigation.

UNI SRN DB RL HT1420