Lucknow, May 14 -- The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to clarify a critical legal boundary: can lawyers paid by the state to defend it, also represent private citizens in lawsuits filed against the government? Justice Saurabh Lavania raised the question on May 8 during the hearing of a contempt petition. The court sought a definitive response from the state's Legal Remembrancer (LR) -the state's top legal advisory officer-on whether additional government advocates or standing counsel who receive a retainership from the state are permitted to institute proceedings against government authorities or their officers. The issue surfaced while hearing a case moved by Ashok Kumar Singh and 28 other persons. The group alleges that government officials committed "wilful disobedience" regarding a court order issued in 2025. During the proceedings, the court observed that the advocate representing the petitioners, Sudhir Kumar Mishra, is currently serving as an AGA. This dual role-acting as a state prosecutor while simultaneously representing private parties against the state-prompted the bench to scrutinise the rules governing state retainership. The court's enquiry centres on the specific terms of the retainership and whether it creates a conflict of interest that should bar AGAs from taking up cases adverse to the state's interests. By involving the Legal Remembrancer, the court aims to establish a clear precedent for how government-contracted lawyers must manage their private practice. The UP must now provide a formal response to these concerns. The matter has been listed for May 18 now. MANOJ KUMAR SINGH...