Lawyers of the Williamnagar Bar Association have requested Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for a bench of the High Court of Meghalaya to be set up in Garo Hills.
In a release, the association said that Sangma had looked favourably on the proposal and said he will discuss it with the Chief Justice of the High Court.
The Meghalaya High Court was established in Shillong only in 2013. Before then, a bench of the Gauhati High Court would hear cases relevant to the state.
In its submission, the bar association said that travelling to Shillong for hearings is too expensive for many litigants and some choose to drop their case at the district court level rather than pursuing justice if it means having to repeatedly travel to Shillong.
As the High Court is far from their practices, lawyers from Garo Hills also do not receive enough experience at the level of the High Court and, as a result, very few qualify as senior lawyers, it added. This also means that many litigants from Garo Hills cannot find lawyers with experience of the area and understanding of its people to represent them in the High Court.
While the association would be happy if the bench were created in any part of Garo Hills, it did advocate Williamnagar as a good location based on its transport links and more amenable weather.
