Shillong, Sep 2: Law Minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Wednesday sought two weeks’ time to address concerns raised by the Bar Associations over the functioning of Advocate General Amit Kumar.
The state government held a meeting with members of the Shillong Bar Association and High Court Bar Association following their demand for removal of the AG.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rymbui said the concerns raised by the Bar Associations would be carefully examined. He assured that the matter would be resolved through dialogue and consultation.
The advocates were aggrieved when Kumar, during a court hearing, referred to a case of sexual harassment by a senior lawyer towards a junior and said that there are many such cases within the legal fraternity in Shillong. However, the two associations have said that they are unaware of any more instances of sexual harassment and Kumar refused to share details with them when asked. This, the lawyers opined, has portrayed Meghalaya’s legal fraternity in a poor light. Other criticisms of Kumar include state expenditure on engaging outside lawyers from Delhi for “small matters” and the appointment of Kumar’s son as a state panel advocate in the Supreme Court.
The lawyers had taken the unprecedented step of marching through the city in protest against Kumar last week. However, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma stood by the state’s top lawyer, saying that Meghalaya was “lucky” to have an Advocate General like Kumar.
