Atul Nanda is new Advocate General

Saurabh Malik

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 16

Jalandhar-born Atul Nanda was appointed the state’s Advocate General today.

The 51-year-old senior advocate said streamlining the functioning of the AG office, rendering effective assistance to the Bench, expeditious disposal of cases and cutting down on unnecessary litigation would be some of his priorities.

Son of a prominent labour lawyer of his time, Ravi Nanda and school teacher Sudesh Nanda, Atul is considered to be a close confidant and long time legal adviser to CM Capt Amarinder Singh.

Not new to the AG office in Punjab, he was an Additional Advocate-General during the previous Congress government and was looking after the state interests in the SC.

He appeared in all crucial and sensitive matters including Reference of the President in Punjab Public Service Commission chairman Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu’s case.

He has also appeared in cases pertaining to constitutional issues and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the disproportionate asset case filed by the revenue and other authorities against Parkash Singh Badal.

Even after demitting the AAG’s office, he continued to represent Amarinder, ministers and other Congress MLAs against whom cases were filed by the SAD-BJP regime.

He also appeared in the case against the expulsion of the CM from the previous House, securing for him a five-zero majority judgment before a Constitution Bench.

Nanda replaces Ashok Aggarwal, who resigned soon after the change of guard in Punjab, almost six years after he was appointed by the previous SAD-BJP government.

One of the first tasks before him would be the appointment of law officers in terms of Supreme Court’s March 2016 order.