SHILLONG : The Shillong Bar Association and the High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association have reiterated that their agitation demanding the removal of Advocate General Amit Kumar will continue, with the associations alleging that the issue is being controlled by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
The Bar associations made their position clear on Friday while responding to the Chief Minister’s recent statement that removing the Advocate General could not be done overnight.
Secretary of the Shillong Bar Association, T. L. Jyrwa, alleged that the government’s hesitation to remove Amit Kumar reflected the Chief Minister’s influence over the matter.
“When we say government is hesitant to remove the AG, as what transpired from all meetings we had, everything is under control of the Chief Minister,” Jyrwa said.
He pointed out that during their meetings with the Law Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, neither had indicated that Amit Kumar was indispensable to the state’s legal affairs.
According to Jyrwa, although both leaders expressed concern over the grievances raised by the Bar, neither defended the Advocate General in the same manner as the Chief Minister.
“They showed their concerns but they never defended Amit Kumar like what CM did. When we met CM on September 16, he stated if we remove Amit Kumar there will be a vacuum in state legal affairs. That clearly sums up. This is all a one man’s show,” he said.
Jyrwa also referred to the Chief Minister’s recent press briefing, during which Conrad Sangma reportedly spoke about his long-standing relationship with Amit Kumar, dating back to the time when his late father, former Lok Sabha Speaker P. A. Sangma, was active in politics. The Chief Minister had also described Amit Kumar as a family friend, Jyrwa said.
The Bar secretary questioned whether the Chief Minister’s position reflected the interests of the state or other considerations.
“So we understand where his loyalty is, whether it is towards state interest or for some other interest,” Jyrwa said.
However, Jyrwa acknowledged that removing a person from a constitutional post was not an immediate process and could require time. He said the Bar associations expected the government to examine their grievances seriously and demonstrate a genuine willingness to address their demand.
“We all understand removing a person from a constitutional post will not be a one-day or a week’s affair but at least we expect genuine appreciation towards our demand,” he said.
He added that the associations remained uncertain about whether the government intended to act on their demand despite the discussions held with the Deputy Chief Minister and the Chief Minister.
Jyrwa warned that the agitation would continue until their demand for Amit Kumar’s removal was addressed.
“We understand it will not be easy but government should at least take it seriously. Now it is difficult for us to understand whether government is really going to go for it. If not, our agitation is still on. As long as our demand is not met, agitation will continue. We are going to agitate, we will continue,” he added.