The Congress government in Rajasthan has sacked one of its counsels in the Supreme Court after it emerged that she was the Advocate on Record in a contempt plea against Rahul Gandhi filed by Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Meenakshi Lekhi on the Rafale deal.
The law department of the state issued an order on April 13 relieving Ruchi Kohli from her post with immediate effect.
'Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Advocate on Record, Supreme court, New Delhi is relieved from duties with immediate effect,' the order issued by Mahaveer Prasad Sharma, the principal secretary, law and legal affairs, said.
She has been directed to hand over all the cases with list to Additional Advocate General Manish Singhvi.
Though the reason of her removal is not mentioned in the order, government sources here informed the move came immediately after the government came to know that she was the advocate on record in the petition against the Congress president.
The advocate-on-record is a designation given to a lawyer, after he/she clears a tough examination conducted by the Supreme Court. The AOR can file a petition in the apex court on behalf of a litigant.
Lekhi had moved the Supreme court on April 12 seeking contempt proceedings against Gandhi for allegedly attributing his remarks on the recent Rafale verdict to the apex court.
The apex court has directed the Congress president to give his explanation by April 22.