Shillong, Nov 2: The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) has demanded the immediate resignation of Advocate General Amit Kumar and slammed the MDA government for its continued silence over his alleged inflated legal bills.
Citing revelations by the Bar Associations, the HYC said invoices show Kumar charged Rs 1. 50 lakh per appearance before a commercial court, with total bills exceeding Rs 1 crore.
It said that this contradicts his public claim on September 3 that his fees were strictly as per government-approved rates of Rs 20,000 per High Court appearance and Rs 40,000 per Supreme Court appearance.
HYC President Roy Kupar Synrem said the contradictory claims amount to misleading the public on the use of public money and demanded accountability.
Stating that public money is not the personal property of the Chief Minister or the Advocate General, HYC demanded immediate resignation of the AG, failing which the Chief Minister must advise his removal, an independent time-bound inquiry into all legal fees paid to him, full disclosure of expenditure of the AG’s office including payments to his legal team and outstation counsels, and a public explanation on who authorised the Rs 1.5 lakh per appearance payment and whether financial rules were followed.
Appealing to citizens, civil society and the legal fraternity to stand together beyond political lines, HYC said if an ordinary citizen is held accountable for every rupee, the state’s highest law officer cannot be an exception.
“Silence is not a defence and public money is not a personal treasury to spend without answering to the people. Enough is enough,” the HYC said.
