SHILLONG – Advocate General Amit Kumar on Thursday pointed to a series of legal battles he said had protected Meghalaya’s interests, while defending his fees, his assisting lawyers and his handling of sensitive cases amid a growing confrontation with the state’s legal fraternity.
One of the cases he highlighted was the Marba Hub arbitration, where a contractor had filed a ₹1,130-crore claim against the Meghalaya government. Kumar said the unanimous award on August 8 rejected the claim, with the government benefiting by ₹3 crore and receiving ₹75 lakh towards litigation costs.
He also cited the BSC C&C JV case, involving a ₹600-crore claim against the state. According to Kumar, his team examined around 17,000 pages of documents and found evidence pointing to corruption and bribery involving government officials. He said he advised the government to register an FIR, following which the company was blacklisted and its ₹369-crore claim was rejected.
Kumar said his office had similarly handled matters concerning Meghalaya Electric Power Corporation Limited, including challenges over electricity tariffs and an NCLT proceeding that he said threatened the state utility with insolvency or liquidation. His team moved urgently for legal protection, he said.
The cases formed part of a broader defence of his tenure as Advocate General, as Kumar addressed criticism over his fees and the involvement of lawyers assisting his office.
He said the government fee schedule applicable to him has remained unchanged since April 2018. Kumar said his retainership is ₹50,000 a month, while he receives ₹40,000 per Supreme Court appearance, ₹20,000 per Meghalaya High Court appearance and ₹11,000 for legal opinions.
Kumar maintained that he had not raised a single bill outside the government’s prescribed fee schedule and said the figures were available through the Law Department.
He also rejected suggestions that his assisting lawyers had imposed additional costs on the state. Kumar said his team of 11 lawyers works on government cases and policy matters without raising separate bills to the government. The defence, however, came against the backdrop of a dispute that has increasingly pitted Kumar against sections of Meghalaya’s legal fraternity.
Kumar acknowledged that communication between his office and members of the Bar may have broken down, allowing disagreements to escalate.
“There is no bad blood between me and Bar. Some confusions are there,” he said.
He said he had not chosen to challenge the Bar Association’s decision against him through court because such a legal battle could take three to four years. Instead, he said he wanted an opportunity to explain his position and resolve the dispute through dialogue.
It was in this context that Kumar disclosed he had already offered to resign from the post.
He said the continuing scrutiny of his fees, work and objectives had become too much and that he approached Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma with his resignation. But the Chief Minister, Kumar said, has not accepted it.
The Advocate General also addressed allegations of misconduct and harassment involving a senior advocate. He said he had examined records relating to cases from 2017, 2024 and 2026.Kumar said the 2017 case, which had been closed on grounds of insufficient evidence, should be reconsidered after his review of the material. He also said he had advised police that the SC/ST Act was applicable in the 2026 matter. He called for stronger institutional mechanisms within the Bar to allow complaints to be raised safely and to protect young professionals.
Kumar also addressed criticism surrounding the appointment of an Advocate General from outside Meghalaya, saying he had not personally faced a local-versus-non-local issue in the state. He pointed to other northeastern states that have appointed Advocates General from outside their respective states.
At the same time, he said qualified local lawyers should be considered when suitable talent is available.
“If there is a local talent, why should not they be appointed? Yes, if there is a local talent, they should be,” Kumar said.
