Shillong, Aug 24: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today strongly backed Advocate General Amit Kumar days after the Shillong Bar Association and High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association urged the state government to suspend or remove him over remarks allegedly made during a court hearing.
Responding to questions on Monday, Sangma said he was aware of the matter but had not gone into the details.
“I have not gone into the details of the different aspects. I know roughly what it is but I have not gone into the details of the statement made and what were the arguments and discussions that were going on,” Sangma said.
However, the CM came out in strong support of Kumar, describing Meghalaya as “very lucky” to have him as its Advocate General.
According to Sangma, Kumar has played a key role in advising the state government on several crucial legal matters and has helped various departments and officials overcome legal challenges.
“From my point of view, we are very happy and thankful that Amit Kumar has decided to always be with us,” Sangma said. “He has the choice of being in any part of the country and being in Delhi in the Supreme Court and practising independently, but he chose to give this prime time of his to the people and to the government of Meghalaya.”
The associations of advocates recently submitted a representation to the state government seeking action against the Advocate General over remarks attributed to him during a court proceeding. They have called for his suspension or removal from the post.
The CM declined to comment on the merits of the association’s demand, saying he had not examined the matter in detail. Instead, Sangma highlighted Kumar’s role as the government’s principal legal adviser and his contribution in handling complex legal matters involving the state.
Referring to a case of sexual harassment by a senior lawyer towards a junior, Kumar 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 associations said these would be backed by RTIs.
