‘Jamai aayog’: RJD spots ‘blatant favouritism’, sons-in-law in Nitish Kumar government in Bihar

A presidential order issued on October 9 last year, and shared on social media now, said: “The President is pleased to engage the following twoihar advocates as Group ‘A’ panel counsel for conducting Central government litigation before the Supreme Court of India… for a period of three years.” The advocates named were Satya Jha and Aadya Jha, the daughters of Sanjay Jha.

A senior Supreme Court advocate said: “Normally, advocates with a minimum 10 years of practice at the Bar are recommended as Group A counsel. However, exceptions can be made in extraordinary circumstances.”

The Department of Legal Affairs, which handles litigation on behalf of the Union of India, empanels advocates for courts and tribunals across the country, generally for a period of three years or until further orders.

There are several categories (court-wise) for the empanelment, and the inducted advocates are collectively called the ‘Panel Counsel’. They are not regular government employees, nor is the empanelment a salaried position. However, empanelled advocates get good fees for representing the government in cases.

Sanjay Jha, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, could not be reached.

Satya, the elder of his two daughters, graduated from the National University of Juridicial Sciences (NUJS) in 2019 and subsequently did her Masters in law from Stanford University. She used to work at the law firm Amarchand Mangaldas. Aadya also did her law graduation from the NUJS, followed by a Masters in law from Harvard University.

Citing their credentials, a source close to Sanjay Jha said: “There are some 500-plus such empanelled lawyers. His daughters are, in fact, over-qualified for the position.”

Among the sons-in-law, Mrinal Paswan, who is married to a daughter of the late Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan, was recently made Chairperson of the Bihar Scheduled Castes Commission. Mrinal said he didn’t want to talk about this “since I am now holding a responsible position”.

LJP (Ram Vilas) Jamui MP Arun Kumar Bharati, who is also Paswan’s son-in-law like Mrinal, said: “Tejashwi, who could study only till Class 9, has no moral right to lecture on nepotism. Whenever the RJD forms the government, it is difficult to make out if it is the party or the family in power.”

LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan was not available for comment.

The Deputy Chairperson of the Bihar Scheduled Castes Commission is another noted son-in-law, Devendra Kumar Manjhi, who is married to the daughter of Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi. Asked about his appointment, Devendra Manjhi said: “I have been in public life for over 25 years now. Some people do not want others to grow.”

Saayan Kunal, who is married to Sambhavi Choudhary, the LJP (RV) Samastipur MP and the daughter of JD(U) minister Ashok Choudhary, is now a member of the Bihar State Religious Trust Council. Saayan’s father is Kishore Kunal, a former IPS officer and an ex-head of the Council.

Asked about the appointment, Choudhary said: “I want to know if Saayan is the son of Kishore Kunal first or my son-in-law first. They have their own clout.”

Saayan told The Indian Express: “I come from a legacy of serving the poor and working at the grassroots level. My commitment has always been to uplift the underprivileged and uphold values of public service. In contrast, Tejashwi Yadav carries the legacy of corruption, which the people of Bihar are all too familiar with.”

Speaking to reporters in Patna Sunday, Tejashwi said: “We advise the Bihar CM to constitute a jamai aayog (son-in-law commission). It is nothing but blatant favouritism.”

The RJD leader also gave the example of Deepak Kumar, former chief secretary and currently principal secretary to the CM, whose wife Rashmi Rekha Verma is now a member of the Bihar Rajya Mahila Aayog. Deepak Kumar remained unavailable for comment.