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.
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). “This is not only the Shillong Bar Association or the High Court Bar Association. Gautam also questioned the Advocate General’s office engaging lawyers from outside Meghalaya in cases, including matters he described as relatively minor. In Tura, lawyers chose to demonstrate solidarity by completely abstaining from court work rather than travelling to Shillong.
This involves Bar Associations from across Meghalaya,” Gautam said. 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 Tura Bar Association’s secretary said its members decided to follow whatever course of action the HCMBA and SBA adopted.
