The Goa office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has dashed yet another reminder to the Goa Government seeking a very urgent explanation and justification on the high fees being paid to Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni.
In this second reminder addressed to the Law Secretary it has been pointed out that though over six months have elapsed the information sought by CAG has not been furnished and that it be furnished very urgently. The Goa Government paid AG Atmaram Nadkarni by way of fees and other allowances a whopping Rs 2,055,9032 (two crores fifty five lakhs nine thousand and thirty two rupees) for the two years from March 2012 to March 2014. The Government also spent a further Rs 10,14,869 (ten lakhs fourteen thousand eight hundred and sixty nine rupees) on the business class airfare for the 17 trips made to Delhi by AG from January 2013 to March 2014. The CAG in a letter to the Goa Government on 23rd January this year had sought from the Goa Government a justification on the high fees being paid to Goa AG. With no reply having been received from the Goa government, CAG on 22nd April once again wrote to the Law Secretary calling for the information urgently. CAG made a comparative study with the states of Haryana, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya and found that the fees being paid to the Goa AG very high. CAG in its comparative chart drew the Government’s attention that while the Goa AG for an appearance before the High Court is paid Rs 10,000 per case, that the AG of Haryana is paid Rs 1000 while the AGs of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are paid Rs 5000, Rs 3000 and Rs 2500 respectively. The CAG further informed the Goa Government that while the Goa AG is paid Rs 75,000 for appearance before the Supreme Court the Haryana AG gets paid Rs 2000 while the AGs of Manipur and Meghalaya get paid Rs 10,000 with the Arunachal Pradesh AG paid Rs 3500. Goa despite being the smallest state is not only hosting India's highest paid AG but the country's highest paid public servant. President of India is paid Rs 1,50,000 a month, the Chief Justice of India Rs 1,00,000 and a High Court Judge Rs 80,000. But AG of Goa Atmaram Nadkarni is paid up to a whopping eight lakhs a month besides Rs 75,000 on every visit to Delhi which is nothing short of a day light loot and plunder of the State’s exchequer. The Goa Government is duty bound to promptly reply to queries raised by CAG. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in an attempt to shield AG Atmaram Nadkarni is pressurizing the Law department not to respond to the pointed questions raised by CAG. Shame on you, Mr. CM. Transparency, Good governance and Zero tolerance to corruption is what we were promised. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: airesrodrigu...@gmail.com Or airesrodrig...@yahoo.com You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires