SHILLONG: The Shillong Bar Association (SBA) and the High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association have firmly rejected allegations that their demand for the removal of Advocate General Amit Kumar was an attempt to shield a lawyer accused of sexually harassing his junior colleague.
SBA secretary TL Jyrwa told reporters that both associations had condemned the alleged harassment and immediately suspended the accused advocate, with further disciplinary action pending the outcome of the case. Jyrwa clarified that the associations only approached the High Court after the accused lawyer was allegedly assaulted and paraded through Shillong before being taken to the police.
High Court Bar Association secretary general KC Gautam confirmed that the Bar Council of Meghalaya had received a complaint from the alleged victim and that an FIR had been registered, with police investigations ongoing.
He stressed that the accused should be dealt with according to the law and cautioned against “non-state actors” taking the law into their own hands.
Gautam explained that the demand for Kumar’s removal stemmed from remarks he allegedly made during court proceedings, including claims of having received multiple complaints of harassment within the legal fraternity.
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The association stated they were unaware of any such complaints and had sought clarification from Kumar, whose 13-page response reportedly angered members and led to a unanimous resolution seeking his ouster.
Concerns were also raised regarding the alleged engagement of lawyers from outside Meghalaya at government expense and Kumar’s reported appointment of his son as a state panel advocate in the Supreme Court.
Gautam said the association would file RTI applications to verify these claims.
Meanwhile, SBA treasurer Ila Lyngdoh said that female members of both associations had met following Kumar’s remarks and confirmed they had neither experienced nor received complaints of sexual harassment within the bar.
The association reiterated their commitment to upholding the rule of law and stated that their intervention in the assault case was solely to ensure due legal process.
Jyrwa concluded that the press conference was intended to “set the narrative straight” amid what the associations described as misleading reports linking their demand for Kumar’s removal to the sexual harassment case.
(4FrontMedia news)
