CoMSO slams M’laya CM over failure to remove Advocate General

Shillong, Oct 9 (PTI): The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO)has strongly criticised the Conrad K. Sangma government for its alleged failure to act against Advocate General Amit Kumar, amid rising opposition from the legal fraternity and growing concerns over his office’s functioning.
In a statement issued on Friday, CoMSO General Secretary Balkarin Ch. Marak accused the Chief Minister of failing to honour his assurances to members of the legal fraternity and said the government’s continued inaction had raised questions about its credibility and accountability.
CoMSO, a conglomeration of several pressure groups, also expressed concern over public expenditure and appointments associated with the Advocate General’s office.
Questioning the government’s response to requests for information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, particularly regarding payments and legal expenditure, Marak asked, Why should the people of Meghalaya be kept in the dark about how crores of rupees of public money are being spent on legal representation?”
It further questioned the government’s decision to continue with an Advocate General from outside the state, arguing that Meghalaya has several senior, competent and qualified local advocates capable of holding the constitutional office.
CoMSO also accused the Chief Minister of appearing more concerned about protecting an individual than safeguarding the credibility of the gvernment and the dignity of the state’s legal institution.
Expressing concern over the ongoing confrontation, CoMSO said the dispute had affected the functioning of courts and the ordinary citizens seeking justice were ultimately bearing the consequences.
Holding the l government responsible for the stalemate, Marak said, “CoMSO makes it clear that the responsibility for this crisis lies squarely with the Conrad Sangma Government. The Chief Minister had every opportunity to resolve the matter but has chosen to remain silent and protect the status quo.”
“Chief Minister Conrad Sangma must understand that Meghalaya is not the private domain of the Government, and public institutions cannot be run according to personal preferences,” he added.
CoMSO further alleged that the Chief Minister’s continued silence and inaction were increasingly being viewed as a deliberate attempt to protect Amit Kumar rather than uphold public accountability.