SC brushes aside submission against AG Mukul Rohatgi appearing for private party

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an objection by a Congress MLA from Kerala to Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi appearing for a private bar owner and arguing against the state government’s prohibition policy.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Vikramajit Sen, while hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the Congress-led state government’s liquor policy, told MLA TN Pratapan’s lawyer that even if there was any breach of rules, it was up to the Central government to take action.

The attorney general, the country’s highest law officer, usually defends the government in important cases. But those who held the position have been known to appear in the past as well against the government with special permission from the law ministry.

On Friday, when the court convened to hear the private liquor lobby’s challenge to the policy, Rohatgi told the court that he was appearing for a private party in his private capacity and not as the government’s law officer.

He argued for over one hour against the state’s policy to allow only 5-star hotels to run bars. Kerala had last year ordered all other bars to close as part of its efforts to reduce liquor consumption in the state.

Rohatgi dubbed the state policy “arbitrary, discriminatory… and bereft of reasoning”.