Nagaland Bar Association (NBA) launched its yearlong golden jubilee celebration under the theme “celebrating our past, inspiring the future” with Gauhati High court justice N. Kotiswar Singh gracing the occasion as special guest held at Gauhati High court Kohima bench room on Thursday.
Justice Singh in his address said the lawyer has commendable role to play in order to shape the society and reminded them to express their views freely without being bonded or dictated by any law. However, he said that freedom came with responsibility and as such, Naga lawyers have important role to play in judiciary system to address the various pertaining issues of the society and urged them to be the agent of positive change.
Justice Singh advised the senior lawyers to nurture the younger lawyers not only on legal point but with their experience. Justice said he was impressed with the bar association members’ activities and encouraged them to continue the commendable job.
President, Nagaland Bar Association (NBA) Talitsungba said the yearlong celebration would impart basic legal education to the mass in almost all the district with specific theme and the jubilee theme. Stressing on the legal system of Naga society, he said Naga society has been deeply rooted into social custom and practices, but in modern society, custom and social practices alone was not sufficient to administer social harmony.
He also highlighted the various hurdles and struggles of the bar association in the last 50 years including humiliation and harassment by the society. He claimed that Naga society has been awakened about the value of the law from the cocoon of social custom and practices through vibrant effort of the bar association by few lawyers those days.
He said lawyers are the torch bearers of the society and today Nagas have good numbers of lawyers to speak out the right and duty of the citizen. He said NBA has raised the issue of recruitment of subordinate judiciary officers and higher judiciary officers which is to be made through selection test and not pick and choose or to be nominated. In this regard, he informed that the government of India has acknowledged their concern and said it was commendable job done by NBA. He opined that justice and law should be of different departments so that executive interference in the appointment of higher judiciary can be avoided.