SG says treated ‘unfairly’,Addl SG may resign next

Refusing to confirm whether he too had put in his papers,Chandioke said: “Things are very fluid. I can’t tell you anything now. Please wait and watch.

Asked about the provocation behind his decision to resign,Subramanium said: “It is not about me or anybody else. I have taken the decision in order to protect the dignity of the office of Solicitor General. How could I watch silently when somebody tried to lower the dignity of my office?”

Subramanium said he was told by a Law Ministry official that the government had decided to engage a private lawyer (senior Supreme Court lawyer Rohington Nariman) to represent it in the 2G matter on Monday. “I think taking such a decision without my consent was not correct and it was an unfair decision,” he said.

Sources in the Law Ministry said the decision to engage Nariman was taken at the behest of Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal,who has been named in an affidavit submitted in the 2G scam case by an NGO.

Sources close to Chandioke,who has been appearing for the government in the 2G case,said he was “upset” with the decision.

Asked if he would take back his resignation if the government asked him to do so,Subramanium said: “The Prime Minister has spoken to me. Wait till tomorrow.”

Subramanium also met President Pratibha Patil today. He,however,refused to comment on his meeting with the President.

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily,who had yesterday spoken to the SG on phone to stop him from putting in his papers,told The Indian Express that he had not seen the resignation so far as he was in Bangalore. “Let me get back,” he said.

On Friday,Subramanium had met Moily in his office to protest against the decision to field Nariman in the case. Today,a senior Law Ministry official said he was sure the SG would withdraw his resignation.