Rupesh Samant, Panaji: Outgoing Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai has said that he would prefer to restart his profession as a lawyer, once he is relieved from the charge.
Pillai has been replaced with Ashok Gajapati Raju as the new Governor of the coastal state.
The Governor said that it is in his mind to continue as a lawyer when he goes back to Kerala.
“That is why, I have not withdrawn my enrolment (as a lawyer). It is suspended,” said Pillai, who was a practising lawyer and two-time chief of BJP unit in Kerala before taking over the assignment of Mizoram in the year 2019 and later as Goa Governor in 2021.
When asked whether it would not be odd to argue in the courts after holding the post of Governor, Pillai replied “That is ego (that one should not go to the court after being Governor). Protocol wise the Governor is fourth in the central list (Table of Precedence) while Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is sixth,” the 70-year-old leader said.
“So, everybody says how can the Governor go and practice in the court,” he added.
Pillai said that the Court is a “Temple of Justice and whoever is sitting on the Chair (judge) is important.”
“You should give respect to them (Judges). Why should I be worried to call him (Judge) Your Honour, there is nothing wrong in it,” he said.
Pillai said that there is also no legal bar for the Governor to practice after he is relieved from the post.
“I prefer that I should have my black coat and gown,” he commented.
Speaking further, Pillai said that he did not get the opportunity to visit Goa beaches during his four-year-long tenure in the coastal state during which he travelled across all the talukas as a part of his “gramin yatra.”
“I did not go to visit the beaches of Goa during my tenure as if I go, I will be accompanied with 7-8 vehicles and all the protocol. That would result in inconvenience to the visitors at the beach,” he said.
Pillai said that during his tenure he tried his level best to impost less protocol around him.
When asked about dealing with the dissents in the political circles in Goa, the Governor said that whenever opposition parties used to come to him with the grievance, he used to call Chief minister the next day over a cup of tea and discuss the issue.
The Governor said that dealing tough issues with a smile was his slogan. “Whenever I had to take tough decisions, I would convince others (about my decision),” he said.