The recent recommendation by the Supreme Court collegium for appointment of Additional Advocate General Biswadeep Bhattacharjee as the judge of Meghalaya High Court has received flak from the Voice of the People Party (VPP) which accused the MDA government of depriving senior tribal lawyers from the State.
In a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, VPP general secretary Ricky A J Syngkon said the party “has deep reservation on such an initiative which tantamount to undermining the prowess of the tribal community of the State”.
“It may be mentioned that there are few senior advocates from the legal fraternity of the State who have had a long standing experience in the High Court and whose knowledge and expertise in the field is widely known. In addition to their professional efficiency and acumen, they also belong to the major tribe of the State,” the VPP said in the letter to Sangma.
The party also urged the chief minister to intervene in the matter at the earliest and ensure that the indigenous people of the State with their professional knowledge and capability in the field be given preferential consideration for the position as judge of the High Court.
Meanwhile, in a separate letter to Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma, the VPP raised strong objections to the holding of the 20th Annual Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Zone-III in Shillong on August 29 which is a Sunday.
Stating that Sunday is a day of worship by the majority of people in the State, the VPP said, “The scheduled dates of the programme amount to sheer display of disrespect towards the religious belief and practice of the Christian community in the State.”
The party also urged for deferment of the dates of the conference. It also urged the Speaker to ensure that in the near future, mo such programme should be held on a Sunday.
It may be mentioned that the CPA India Region Zone-III conference is being hosted in Shillong from July 28 to August 1.
