Issue of Mehra's appointment before Chief Secretary: HC told

A law department report on the appointment of Rahul Mehra as the senior standing counsel for the Delhi government was being considered by the Chief Secretary, the Delhi High Court was told today.
The submission was made on behalf of the office of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) before Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva who was hearing a plea by a lawyer seeking setting aside and quashing of the appointment of Mehra to the post.
The court did not pass any orders today and adjourned the matter to July 21 on a request made on behalf of the petitioner.
The petitioner advocate has termed the appointment as "illegal" on the ground that the post of senior standing counsel "doesn't exist in the eyes of the law".

The court was earlier told that the file seeking approval of the city government's decision to appoint Mehra as senior standing counsel (civil) was being examined by LG Anil Baijal.
Today, the government said the matter was forwarded to its law department whose report has been placed before the Chief Secretary.

The petitioner, Chetan Dutt, in his plea has said "the Department of Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs issued a notification appointing Rahul Mehra as senior standing counsel for all matters of Delhi....
"No advertisement for the post, no terms and conditions for appointment, no criteria, no eligibility were made. No sanction was obtained from the LG of the National Capital Territory of Delhi."

The petition has said that judicial review of the notification was mandatory and required in law.