Supreme Court Bar Association asks Meghalaya bar bodies to drop resolution against Advocate General

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has urged the Meghalaya High Court Bar Association and the Shillong Bar Association to reconsider and withdraw their joint resolution against Meghalaya Advocate General Amit Kumar.

The SCBA said the resolution was “unwarranted”, arguing that Kumar’s remarks were made during judicial proceedings in a matter that was already before the Meghalaya High Court.

The two bar associations had on August 13 passed a joint resolution expelling Kumar from their rolls and seeking his removal as Advocate General. They had objected to his submissions regarding the responsibility of bar associations to ensure a safe environment for women lawyers and law interns.

The SCBA said, however, that Kumar’s remarks needed to be considered in their proper context.

It noted that Kumar, while appearing as Advocate General, had informed the High Court about the action taken in the case and submitted that while “the safety of members of the Bar must be protected”, equal attention must be given to “the safety and dignity of women advocates and law interns”.

The SCBA said the submissions were made in connection with a matter arising from serious allegations by a woman law intern against a senior member of the Bar.

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“Taking these circumstances into account, particularly when the matter is already under consideration on the judicial side,” the association said, seeking action against the Advocate General over submissions made during judicial proceedings was unwarranted and could “further escalate the controversy”.

The SCBA therefore called on the two bar associations to withdraw their joint resolution and instead work towards an “effective and confidential mechanism” through which women advocates and law interns can raise grievances and seek redressal.

It said women lawyers and interns should be able to raise their concerns “fearlessly”, while stressing that the safety and dignity of every member of the legal profession should remain “a collective responsibility of the Bar”.

The controversy emerged during proceedings before the Meghalaya High Court concerning the alleged physical assault and public parading of an advocate in Shillong. The advocate had earlier been accused of molesting a law intern.

During the proceedings, the High Court had also expressed concern over the alleged failure of police to act despite being present when the incident took place.

The incident prompted the Meghalaya High Court Bar Association and the Shillong Bar Association to raise concerns over the safety of lawyers. The matter later became linked to Kumar’s submissions on the need to protect women advocates and law interns, leading to the bar associations’ action against him.