AGARTALA, Sep 29 (TIWN): The High Court of Tripura issued notice to the state government on Monday seeking report on policy and criteria in appointing public prosecutor (PP) and assistant public prosecutor (APP) . As per Supreme Court guidelines only learned and experienced lawyers can be appointed as PP and APP. Besides Cr Pc section 24 and sub section 4 panel have to be constituted after consultation with DM and District Session Judge, either by independent recruitment body or by director of prosecution. Under proper screening test the government can appoint public prosecutors. But here in the state while appointing public prosecutors, more importance is given to political colour than merit of lawyers. It has become a convention that which political remains in power, only their party lawyers are appointed as PP or APP. It is an open secret that in the long rule of Left Front government only lawyers belonging to AILU associaiotion are getting selected as public prosecutors. Non – political lawyers association ATLA and Human Rights Legal Cell alleged in the state only those lawyers have allegiance with the ruling CPI(M) party gets the opportunity even if they are non – meritorious or have no experiences.On several occasion the matter was drawn to the notice of law secretary, law minister and even chief minister Manik Sarkar.

 But nothing has changed in the regard. Due to non-meritorious and inexperience public prosecutors state government are worst suffers. In many occasion they lose cases in court due to the wrong policy in appointing public prosecutors.At last a lawyer Debash Chandra Ray file a PIL on the issue in High Court.The case came for hearing in the divisional bench of Chief Justice  Deepak Gupta  and Justice S. Talapatra.

After hearing, the division bench directed the law secretary, DM and District Session Judge to submit a written report the policy and criteria followed in appointing public prosecutors. The report was told to be placed in the court on next hearing schedule to held on December 7 next. The lawyer for PIL was Arijit Bhowmik.