Shillong: Lawyers took their fight for the removal of Advocate General Amit Kumar directly to the state head. Members of the High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association and Shillong Bar Association met Governor Chandrashekhar H Vijayashankar at Lok Bhavan on Saturday.
They want the Governor to pressure the state government into action. The Governor promised to write to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to force a Cabinet review of the demand. This follows a Thursday march in Shillong where over 1,000 lawyers protested Kumar for comments he allegedly made about the local legal community.
Shillong Bar Association secretary TL Jyrwa welcomed the response. "The Governor acknowledged the lawyers’ right to raise grievances," Jyrwa said. The Governor also floated the idea of creating a formal Standard Operating Procedure for future Advocate General appointments if the current complaints hold weight.
The government claims the issue is sub judice, but lawyers call foul. KC Gautam, secretary general of the High Court Bar Association, insists the demand for removal is not currently sitting before any judge. He accused the government of hiding behind pending court business to dodge a real answer.
The conflict spilled into the Assembly on Friday. Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma demanded a full account from the government. The Chief Minister clammed up, refusing to detail the situation by citing ongoing court proceedings.
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