Goa CAG seeks explanation from govt on AG’s fees

Acting on a complaint filed by a social activist, Goa office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has sought views of the Goa government on the high fees being paid to Advocate-General of Goa.

Activist lawyer Aires Rodrigues on May 16, 2013, lodged a complaint with CAG on the exorbitant fees being paid to the Advocate-General. The office of CAG made a comparative examination with the States of Haryana, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya and found the fees being paid to the Advocate-General of Goa to be very high, the complainant told The Hindu on Saturday. He expressed displeasure over the Goa government’s failure to respond to two reminders of the CAG.

With no reply having been received from the Goa government the Deputy Accountant General on April 22 once again wrote to the Law Secretary calling for the information, Mr. Rodrigues pointed out.

The CAG in a letter to the Goa Government on January 23 this year had also sought from the Goa Government the list of cases represented by the Advocate-General in the High Court and Supreme Court along with the total remuneration paid and the amount that was at stake in those cases. The CAG has also sought details of the total amount paid monthly to the Advocate-General and a list of the advocates empanelled by the Goa government with the total remuneration paid to them year wise.

The CAG in its comparative chart of smaller States has drawn the government’s attention that while the Goa AG is paid Rs.10,000 per case for appearance before the High Court, 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 has 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.

In his complaint to the CAG last year, Mr. Rodrigues had pointed out that Goa, despite being the smallest State, was not only hosting India's highest paid Advocate-General but also the country's highest paid public servant. He had said that Goa AG was getting paid Rs. 8 lakh a month besides Rs. 75,000 on every visit to Delhi.

The present government, soon after coming to power, in May 23, 2012, had directed that the fees of AG be hiked “due to the very high inflation being faced by the AG”.