West Bengal’s advocate-general Anindya Mitra on Friday resigned from his post. He has not mentioned any reason for the decision. However, sources said that Mr Mitra decided to quit because of his growing differences with the state government.
Mr Mitra was hand-picked by chief minister Mamata Banerjee after she came to power in May 2011. Therefore, his sudden resignation — which many claimed was an unprecedented instance — sparked a controversy in the political and legal circles.
Announcing his resignation, state law minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that Mr Mitra has sent his resignation letter to governor M.K. Narayanan and copies were sent to the chief minister and the law minister. “Today we have received the resignation letter of advocate general Anindya Mitra. He has resigned with immediate effect and the chief minister has appointed Bimal Chatterjee as the new advocate-general of the state,” she added. Ms Bhattacharya made it clear that his resignation was not the state government’s loss.
Asked if it was true that Mr Mitra was unhappy with the state government, Ms Bhattacharya said he had never conveyed his unhappiness in writing. Questioning the manner in which Mr Mitra has put in his papers, former mayor of Kolkata and a noted lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said: “I cannot say whether he has resigned or he was forced to resign.”