THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Albeit the expert legal assistance from the Advocate General's office and the law department, the government has emptied its coffers paying celebrated lawyers the riches for appearing in crucial cases. In the time gap between 2019-22, Rs1.47 crores were spent. Minister P Rajeeve informed the same on the assembly. The government engages in such sumptuous contracts at a time when the state is teetering on the edge of debt.

The university chancellor issue saw the government spending Rs 15 lakhs. For the infamous solar case, the moolah stayed around Rs 5.50 lakhs. During the first tenure of Pinarayi, Rs 6 crore was spent on 7 judicial commissions. The gruesome twin murder of congress workers in Periya was another case. The government went on against the families' need for a CBI inquiry, and that to happen, the money rolled was Rs 12 crore.

The last budget offered Rs 68.95 for the Advocate General's office. Including the AG, there are other 567 employees in the office. Meanwhile, the law department was allotted Rs 23.44 crores. The justice PA Muhammed commission that searched the case of a bout between high court lawyers and the police is the most spent one for judicial commissions with Rs 2.77 crore.