Delhi: Manish Sisodia directs departments to stop payment of lawyers

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has issued a memorandum directing all administrative departments of the state government not to make payments to any lawyers without his approval.

Sisodia in the memorandum directed, “No administrative department will process payment to any lawyer whose empanelment or appointment is not not approved by the law minister.”

The Delhi finance ministry, issued an office memorandum to all principal secretaries and head of departments after Sisodia, who also holds the ministry, ‘desired’ to issue the direction.

The memorandum states, “All payments of any lawyers (s) of any administrative department shall be made after the approval of finance minister. No administrative department shall process the payment of any lawyer whose empanelment or appointment is not approved by the Minister of Law."

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Earlier in September, Sisodia urged Lt. Gov. Anil Baijal to put recruitment process of lawyers being carried out by the services department on hold saying it suffers from legal infirmities. He had then alleged that the officials had refused to show the file on the recruitment process to him, citing LG orders.