Patna: Bihar advocate general P K Shahi on Sunday voluntarily relinquished his constitutional post and communicated his decision to the state government in a letter. Shahi, who began his second term as advocate general on January 16, 2023, emphasized that the decision was entirely his own and not influenced by anyone else.
Decision Explained
“I did not tender resignation but have relinquished the post of advocate general, paving the way for the new Bihar government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party to take an independent decision on the appointment of government counsels in the Patna High Court,” Shahi said in response to queries from legal reporters.
Key Cases During Tenure
During his second tenure, Shahi represented the Bihar government in several significant cases. Notably, the Patna High Court on August 1, 2023, upheld the constitutional validity of the caste survey conducted in the state. Another prominent case involved political reservation for extremely backward classes (EBCs) in urban local body elections. The high court upheld the reservation, accepting the legal arguments advanced on behalf of the state.
Career Highlights
Born on July 3, 1955, Shahi studied law at Banaras Hindu University and joined the Patna High Court Bar in 1980. He became a leading practitioner in constitutional law. In 1990, at age 35, he was appointed government pleader for Bihar in the Patna High Court, making him the youngest law officer appointed by any state government in a high court in India.
He served as standing counsel for the central government in the Patna High Court from 2001 and became advocate general of Bihar on November 25, 2005. In 2006, the Patna High Court designated him a senior advocate.
Political Entry and Later Work
Shahi entered active politics in 2010 as a minister in the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government. He initially handled the education department and later managed the environment and forest, planning and development, and education departments simultaneously.
After returning to legal practice in January 2016, he was appointed amicus curiae in approximately 40 public interest litigations related to national highway construction in Bihar. Major highway projects, including the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi, Patna-Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama, Bakhtiyarpur-Nawada-Rajauli, Patna-Ara-Bhojpur, and Munger-Mirzachowki corridors, were monitored by the Patna High Court with Shahi assisting as amicus curiae.
