Shillong: Lawyers across Meghalaya are walking off the job starting Tuesday. The High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association and the Shillong Bar Association confirmed the move on Monday. They will abstain from all judicial work until Advocate General Amit Kumar loses his position. Bail hearings are the only exception to this standoff.
The feud started in late July after a law intern was allegedly molested by a senior advocate. Members of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front eventually dragged the accused from his office and paraded him publicly. The High Court intervened in the fallout. During an August 3 hearing, Kumar claimed local bar groups failed to protect women and keep the workplace safe.
Local attorneys slammed those comments as false. On August 5, more than 400 lawyers voted to strike Kumar from their rolls and demanded his firing. Kumar later told the press he had “sincere regrets,” saying he had only tried to highlight institutional gaps. Local bar leaders rejected the sentiment, refusing to view it as a real apology.
The Chief Minister continues to defend the Advocate General. In response, the local associations met with Governor C.H. Vijayashankar on August 29. The Supreme Court Bar Association previously asked the state lawyers to stand down, but the local groups refused. They view the pressure as bullying. Protesters marched in Shillong on August 27, burning an effigy and demanding Kumar go back to Delhi. The Tura Bar Association also joined the strike. The legal deadlock remains absolute.
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