Shillong Bar Association suspends lawyer accused of molesting intern, condemns public parading

The Shillong Bar Association has suspended the membership of advocate AH Hazarika, who has been accused of molesting a female intern, while also condemning the manner in which he was allegedly assaulted and paraded to a police station by members of the public.

In a joint statement, association president HR Nath and secretary TL Jyrwa said the executive committee convened an emergency meeting on July 29 after reports of the incident surfaced across media platforms.

The association said it strongly condemned the alleged misconduct against the intern, stating that such behaviour, if proven, would amount to a serious breach of professional ethics, constitutional values and the dignity of an individual.

Considering the seriousness of the allegations, the association has issued a show-cause notice to Hazarika and suspended his membership pending the outcome of investigations by the police and disciplinary proceedings before the State Bar Council.

At the same time, the association expressed concern over reports that certain non-state actors allegedly apprehended, assaulted and publicly paraded the advocate from his office at Keating Road in Shillong to Sadar Police Station.

It said that irrespective of the allegations against an individual, taking the law into one's own hands was unacceptable and undermined the rule of law and constitutional governance. The statement added that such acts could also jeopardise the pursuit of justice in genuine cases.

The association called for a lawful, impartial and expeditious investigation into both the molestation allegations against the advocate and the reported vigilante actions, stressing that both matters should be dealt with strictly through the legal and judicial process.