Shillong: Meghalaya Advocate General Amit Kumar pushed back on Thursday against claims of power abuse. He held a press conference to clear the air. Kumar addressed comments he made before the High Court regarding an assault case involving a senior Bar member. He insisted his words were not an attack on the Shillong Bar Association or the High Court Bar Association.
He claimed the remarks focused only on a young law intern incident and similar prior allegations against the same senior member in 2017 and 2024. He denied calling the lawyer a habitual offender. Kumar also addressed a petition signed by 87 Bar members demanding better conditions for women. He stated, "I had already expressed regret in his August 13 letter if his statements in court or his August 4 letter had hurt sentiments."
Kumar dismissed the "outsider" label. He has practiced in the state for 25 years. Regarding the hiring of external lawyers, he reported handling 1,000 government matters between January 1 and August 31, 2026. He paid his 11-member support team, including family, out of his own pocket. No fee bills went to the state.
He defended using outside help for complex work. He cited three arbitration cases worth Rs 1,600 crore. He also noted that the government pays local special counsel up to five times his own appearance fee. He welcomes a probe into state payments based on the 2018 government notification. He called the recent social media backlash a trial without evidence. Kumar now wants to expand the government panel and urged senior lawyers to step up for public interest litigation.
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