Tripura gets new Advocate General

The Tripura government on Monday appointed senior lawyer Saktimoy Chakraborti as the new Advocate General of the state, officials said.

State’s Law Secretary Sanjoy Bhattacharjee in a notification said that the Tripura Governor (Indra Sena Reddy Nallu) appointed Chakraborti as the new Advocate General of the state with immediate effect.

Chakraborti was appointed as the new Advocate General hours after Siddhartha Shankar Dey resigned from the post.

Dey, who declined to comment about his decision to resign, said that as per procedure he submitted his resignation letter to both Chief Secretary J. K Sinha and Law Secretary Sanjoy Bhattacharjee.

"I have earlier informed Chief Minister Manik Saha of my decision (to quit the post). Actually, I intended to resign from the post earlier but in view of five/six pending cases/files, my resignation was delayed by some days,” the senior law officer told IANS.

The Chief Minister also holds charge of the Law Department. Sources, however, said that Dey quit because of "rifts and predicaments on certain legal issues with senior officials of the Tripura Law Department and senior bureaucrats".

The BJP government in Tripura appointed Dey as Advocate General on December 29, 2020, after his predecessor Arun Kanti Bhowmik, also a former MLA, died after being affected by Covid-19-related complications.

Hailing from northern Tripura, Dey had been practising at the Gauhati High Court before his appointment as the Advocate General.

Commenting on his tenure, De quipped: "All songs have an end like all seasons have a changeover, just like that."

"I have had a memorable and successful tenure of four years under two successive Chief Ministers (Biplab Kumar Deb and Manik Saha). It was a satisfying journey, but this is a pleasure post that depends on the conveniences of both the government and myself."

Highlighting his performance during his term, Dey said that he lawfully streamlined the state's promotion policy, which had been stalled for eight years.

According to him, the policy overhaul filled approximately 4,000 vacant positions, accelerating the administrative process and revitalising the state’s governance framework.

Another important feat, Dey pointed out, was the formulation of a government appointment policy prioritising local candidates. Recognising Tripura's unique challenges as a landlocked state with limited industrial expansion opportunities, he stressed that prioritising locals in government jobs was crucial for sustainable growth.

Sources also said that the state government has already selected a senior lawyer for the post of next Advocate General. The official announcement is likely to be made soon, the sources added.