SHILLONG – Advocate General Amit Kumar on Thursday rejected allegations that he had blamed Meghalaya’s legal fraternity over the recent molestation controversy, saying his call for introspection followed information about earlier allegations against senior advocate H. Hazarika.
Kumar said young government advocates had approached him before August 3 and told him that the alleged molestation of a woman intern was not an isolated incident. He said police records later showed an earlier allegation in 2017 and another incident in 2024.
Speaking to the Press, Kumar said his intention was to push for institutional safeguards within the Bar rather than accuse its members collectively.
“I did not blame the Bar. I did not blame the High Court Bar Association, I did not blame the Shillong Bar Association,” he said.
Kumar said he had described himself as “guilty” only in the context of his responsibility as Advocate General to look after the welfare of members of the Bar.
He said his remarks calling for introspection were later taken out of context and portrayed as an allegation against the entire legal fraternity.
On the alleged earlier complaints involving Hazarika, Kumar said the senior advocate had been on the government panel since 2013 and that his past background had not been known to him. He said a 2017 case was closed despite what he described as shortcomings and sufficient evidence against the accused.
Kumar also said the recent controversy involved two separate issues police action against those who allegedly assaulted and publicly paraded an advocate, and the need for institutional mechanisms to address complaints within the legal fraternity.
He said around 87 lawyers had earlier submitted a representation seeking reforms within the High Court Bar Association, including a mechanism for reporting such incidents and creating a better working environment for women members of the Bar.
Kumar said he remained a member of the Bar regardless of whether he continued as Advocate General.
“Today I am AG, tomorrow I may not be AG. I will be a member of the Bar throughout, because our Bar is mother, and we all belong to it,” he said.
