Chandigarh, June 5
The Punjab Advocate-General, Mr Harbhagwan Singh, today rushed to New Delhi to confabulate with leading constitutional experts, including renowned lawyer Fali S. Nariman, about legal recourse to yesterday's Supreme Court
order. Mr Nariman had argued the stand of Punjab vis-a-vis SYL Canal in the Supreme Court recently.
The Supreme Court yesterday ordered the Union Government to take in its hand and get the remaining portion of the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal completed through a central agency.
According to sources, the decision to consult Mr Nariman and other experts tomorrow was taken at a meeting of Mr Harbhagwan Singh, Punjab Chief Secretary Jai Singh Gill and Principal Secretary (Irrigation) this morning.
During the meeting, the AG is learnt to have spelt out the options left for the Punjab Government to meet the situation arising out of the Supreme Court order. The Chief Secretary is scheduled to present the likely scenario before the members of the Cabinet and top officers on Monday.
Meanwhile, government sources said that the government could opt for a review petition in the matter soon.
When contacted, AG Harbhagwan Singh said that he would meet Mr Nariman tomorrow to explore various possibilities in the matter. "The Chief Minister has already talked to Mr Nariman on phone and outlined the fears and expectations of Punjab," Mr Singh said.
According to sources, the Punjab Chief Minister has also told Mr Nariman that he would also meet him in New Delhi, where he was expected to go on June 8.
The possibility of some senior law officers being deputed to New Delhi for sometime to assist the legal team in its preparations for a protracted legal battle is also not ruled out.
"We will consider everything only after I have held detailed discussions with Mr Nariman," was the reply of the Punjab Advocate- General when asked what avenues could be explored by the government.
