Meghalaya lawyers intensify protest, demand removal of Advocate General Amit Kumar

Lawyers from across Meghalaya intensified their agitation on October 7, demanding the removal of state Advocate General Amit Kumar and alleging that he continued appearing in courts despite assurances from the state government.

A large number of lawyers representing bar associations from different parts of the state took part in a rally in Shillong as part of the ongoing protest.

Addressing the media after the rally, Kishore Gautam said the lawyers had earlier met Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, following which they were assured that Kumar would not appear before the Meghalaya High Court or any other court or tribunal in the state.

Gautam alleged that despite the assurance, Kumar continued to appear before the High Court as well as trial courts.

“After the meeting with the Chief Minister, an assurance was once again given to us that Mr Amit Kumar will not appear in the High Court or any of the courts or tribunals in the state of Meghalaya,” Gautam said.

He said he had subsequently informed the Chief Minister through WhatsApp and SMS about Kumar’s continued appearances after receiving the Chief Minister’s contact number during their earlier meeting.

Gautam said the lawyers were subsequently compelled to resume their boycott of court proceedings.

“Our demand is the same: we want removal of Mr Amit Kumar,” he said, questioning why no concrete action had been taken despite repeated representations and meetings with the government.

The lawyers had earlier announced a statewide boycott of judicial work from October 1, with bail and urgent matters exempted, citing Kumar’s continued appearances before courts despite what they described as government assurances.

Gautam said representatives of bar associations across Meghalaya stood united behind the demand and that the agitation would continue through different forms of protest.

He added that the executive committees of the district court and High Court bar associations would meet to decide the next course of action.

The dispute between the legal fraternity and Kumar has been ongoing for several weeks. The bar associations had earlier removed Kumar from their rolls and demanded his removal as Advocate General, while Kumar has maintained that his appointment as Advocate General is a prerogative of the state government and that he remains entitled to practise as a lawyer.