1020 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
tribunal in the land, all matters before the Supreme Court, civil and criminal, in which the Government of India or any of the State Governments were interested, should be handled by a central agency, composed of personnel experience in Federal Court practice and procedure, conversant with Government administration, and familiar with the new Constitution. When the proposal was put to the Governments of Part A and part B States, it was accepted by 10 of them.
(c) The approximate expenditure on the Central Agency is estimated to be Rs. 47,600 for the current financial year and Rs. 87,400 for the next financial year. The expenditure is to be shared between the Government of India and the Governments of the participating States in proportion to the number and nature of the cases handled on behalf of each Government. The amounts payable by the participating Governments for the current year can only be estimated at the end of the year.
(d) Before the Central Agency section was created, the Agency work of the Central Government was done by one of the Government Solicitors in addition to his normal advisory work in the Solicitor’s Branch, and each Provincial or State Government made its own arrangements. The setting up of a centralised agency will naturally lead to economy and efficiency, particularly from the point of view of the State Governments. It also secures greater co-ordination between the States inter se and the Central Government on various constitutional questions coming up before the Supreme Court.
Shri Raj Bahadur: May I know whether any of the States disapproved or rejected the proposals ?
Dr. Ambedkar : Well, I do not know which States expressly disapproved, but, as I said, ten have agreed; Assam, West Bengal, Madras, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have not joined the scheme. They might join hereafter.
Shri Raj Bahadur: May I know the number of States which have not given specific acceptance of the proposal ?