Meghalaya lawyers boycott courts, demand Advocate General Amit Kumar’s removal

Meghalaya lawyers boycotted court proceedings and held a protest in Shillong, demanding the resignation or removal of Advocate General Amit Kumar.

Lawyers across Meghalaya on Thursday boycotted court proceedings and took to the streets in Shillong, demanding the resignation or removal of Advocate General Amit Kumar amid a growing row over his alleged remarks during court proceedings and concerns over the functioning of his office.

Senior advocate Kishore Chand Gautam said the protest represented the collective position of bar associations across the state and was not confined to Shillong. (AFP)

The statewide show of solidarity extended beyond the capital, with the Tura Bar Association boycotting court work and refusing to take up cases in support of the agitation led by the High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association (HCMBA) and Shillong Bar Association (SBA).

Senior advocate Kishore Chand Gautam said the protest represented the collective position of bar associations across the state and was not confined to Shillong.

“This is not only the Shillong Bar Association or the High Court Bar Association. This involves Bar Associations from across Meghalaya,” Gautam said.

The immediate trigger was a controversy over remarks allegedly made by Kumar during proceedings concerning the safety of women in the legal profession. Lawyers objected to what they described as the manner in which the issue was handled and subsequently portrayed.

A general body meeting of the bar associations on August 24 unanimously decided to approach Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma seeking Kumar’s removal. Gautam said Kumar later expressed regret over how his comments had been reported, but the lawyers did not consider it an apology.

The agitation also widened into a dispute with a local daily, with the bar bodies accusing the newspaper of presenting a misleading narrative that lawyers were opposed to Kumar because he had supported a woman intern. “The narrative that was being created was wrong,” Gautam said.

The associations subsequently resolved to boycott the newspaper, refuse representation in legal matters and consider legal action over the reports.

Gautam also questioned the Advocate General’s office engaging lawyers from outside Meghalaya in cases, including matters he described as relatively minor. He questioned the appointment of Kumar’s son to represent the state in the Supreme Court and said the bar would file Right to Information applications seeking details of expenditure incurred by the Advocate General and his legal team.

The lawyers were further angered by Sangma’s recent description of Meghalaya as “very lucky to have” Kumar as Advocate General. “That was very hurtful to every lawyer. That is why you see such large participation in the rally,” Gautam said.

In Tura, lawyers chose to demonstrate solidarity by completely abstaining from court work rather than travelling to Shillong. The Tura Bar Association’s secretary said its members decided to follow whatever course of action the HCMBA and SBA adopted.

“Whatever step they take, we will follow. We are giving them our full support and full cooperation,” he said.

The association discussed the issue at an emergency general meeting on August 21 and unanimously resolved to back the Shillong-based bar bodies.

The Shillong protest culminated in a march and sit-in, followed by the submission of a memorandum to the Governor. Gautam said the agitation would continue until Kumar resigned or was removed.

“We will continue our agitation until Mr Amit Kumar resigns or is removed,” he said.