Kolkata, Jan 24 (IANS): The Advocate General of West Bengal, Kishore Datta, was on Wednesday asked by the Calcutta High Court whether he had permission of the state government to represent as a counsel former state education minister, Partha Chatterjee.

The Trinamool Congress Secretary General is currently in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the cash-for-school job case.

“If you want to represent Partha Chatterjee as a counsel, you will have to get special permission from the state government for that. If the state government permits then the court will have nothing to say,” Justice Tirthankar Ghosh told Datta during a hearing on a related case on Wednesday.

Justice Ghosh also told the Advocate General that he will also have to get special permission from the state government if he wishes to represent Sujay Krishna Bhadra, another prime accused in the case, as a counsel.

To recall, on January 10, another single judge Bench of Justice Amrita Sinha also raised questions on how the Advocate General could appear on behalf of Bhadra as a counsel.

She also advised Datta not to appear for the state government at least in the case where Bhadra is a party since the same counsel representing both the state and an accused person will result in a conflict of interest.

Legal circles close to Datta explained that he was holding the briefs on behalf of both Chatterjee and Bhadra before he was appointed as the Advocate General for the second time earlier this month.