Nagaland Bar Association sets September 13 deadline for local Advocate General appointment, warning of boycott and seeking Meriema complex completion
DIMAPUR — Nagaland’s legal fraternity has made public its three-month ultimatum to the state government, demanding that the advocate general (AG) be appointed from among lawyers from the state by September 13 and warning of a boycott of the incumbent if the demand is not met.
The Nagaland Bar Association (NBA) submitted the representation to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who also holds the Law and Justice portfolio, on June 13.
It made the document available to the press on August 31, ahead of the September 13 deadline.
In the representation, the Bar demanded that the AG be appointed from among members of the legal fraternity in Nagaland, citing the absence of a local appointee to the post since the state attained statehood in 1963.
The NBA reminded that the issue had been raised through representations and meetings with the government over the years but had not resulted in a positive response.
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According to a resolution adopted unanimously at the NBA executive committee meeting on June 8, the government must appoint the AG from among members of the state’s legal fraternity within three months. Failure to do so, it warned, would entail “consequential action”, including a boycott of the incumbent AG in all proceedings, whether physical or virtual, besides other actions deemed appropriate.
The Bar argued that the continued absence of a member of Nagaland’s legal fraternity as AG was a matter of concern, particularly after more than six decades of statehood.
It described the situation as a “slur” upon the legal fraternity and rejected any suggestion that the profession in the state had not come of age or lacked competent members for appointment as AG.
The NBA further asserted that the chief legal officer of Nagaland should be appointed from among members of the state’s legal fraternity.
Meriema High Court complex
The Bar has also sought urgent government action for completion of the new High Court complex at Meriema, stating that construction, which began in 2007, remains incomplete.
The NBA asserted that it was the responsibility of the state to provide adequate infrastructure for a “robust and effective Judiciary”, which it described as one of the three organs of the state.
A separate resolution adopted at the June 8 executive committee meeting called upon the government to take appropriate steps to complete the Meriema complex at the earliest.
The Bar criticised what it described as the “casual manner” in which the judiciary was being treated and said judicial infrastructure must be accorded priority.
“The judiciary cannot be treated as an ‘unwanted organ’ of the state, capable of being relegated to the background,” the NBA said.
The Bar reiterated its demand that adequate resources be provided on a priority basis to complete construction of the new High Court complex at Meriema, while the government has been put on notice over the September 13 deadline for appointing the AG from among the state’s legal fraternity.