Two Government Orders issued on the same day April 30, 2026 by the Andhra Pradesh Home (Courts A) Department reveal a pattern of extraordinary legal expenditure that demands public scrutiny. Both orders relate to the same case: Crime No. 21/2024, CID PS, Mangalagiri a politically sensitive case being heard in the Hon’ble High Court of Andhra Pradesh. Both orders sanction professional fees to the same lawyer: Sri Sidharth Luthra, Learned Senior Advocate.
Both orders relate to the same case: Crime No. 21/2024, CID PS, Mangalagiri a politically sensitive case being heard in the Hon’ble High Court of Andhra Pradesh. Both orders sanction professional fees to the same lawyer: Sri Sidharth Luthra, Learned Senior Advocate
G.O.RT.No. 520, dated 30-04-2026: Payment of ₹33,00,000 (Rupees Thirty Three Lakhs) to Sri Sidharth Luthra for appearances on December 29, 2025, December 31, 2025, and January 5, 2026 three appearance dates. The base fee is ₹30,00,000 plus clerkage at 10% of ₹1,00,00,000, amounting to ₹3,00,000, bringing the grand total to ₹33,00,000.
G.O.RT.No. 521, dated 30-04-2026: Payment of ₹22,00,000 (Rupees Twenty Two Lakhs) to Sri Sidharth Luthra for appearances on March 2, 2026 and March 6, 2026 two appearance dates. The base fee is ₹20,00,000 plus clerkage at 10% of ₹1,00,00,000, amounting to ₹2,00,000, bringing the total to ₹22,00,000.
Combined payment sanctioned on a single day: ₹55,00,000. Fifty-Five Lakhs to one lawyer for one case in two Government Orders.
The Broader Pattern: This Is Not the First Time
These two Government Orders do not exist in isolation. The opposition and civil society observers have previously flagged the Chandrababu government’s pattern of engaging high-cost Senior Advocates for state litigation a practice that has collectively cost crores of rupees in legal fees.
The Exchequer Bleeds While the Questions Mount
This is not about whether Sidharth Luthra is a capable advocate but this is about whether the people of Andhra Pradesh, in their current fiscal condition, should be paying ₹10 lakh per court appearance for legal representation in a CID case.
A government that lectures about fiscal responsibility, that asks private hospitals to bear 8% interest on loans raised to pay their own dues, that cannot find money for medical colleges that government has no business spending the public’s money at ₹10 lakh per appearance without full, transparent public justification.
The Government Orders are on record. The amounts are documented. The questions are legitimate. The only thing missing is an answer.
