Meghalaya’s Advocate General K S Kynjing resigned from his post, just a day ahead of the crucial hearing of a PIL in the High Court seeking disqualification of MLAs holding dual posts.
Highly placed official sources confirmed Kynjing has put in his papers, while Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Law department Rowel Lyngdoh admitted to have “heard about” the resignation but adding the “quit letter is yet to reach my department.”
Lyngdoh, however, significantly said “This has been in the thinking of the government that we need to have a new advocate general.”
He further added any such resignation letter must have been directly submitted to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.
“If it is true that he (Kynjing) has resigned, the government will have to immediately appoint a new advocate general,” Lyngdoh commented.
The high court had earlier criticized Kynjing for his “lack of knowledge in law” and seeking repeated adjournments in important cases of public interest.
About the HC stricture, Lyngdoh said “he (Kynjing) must have felt something after being criticized by many for allegedly not being able to perform properly. He might have understood it (criticism) and decided to allow the government to appoint others.”
The Deputy CM also talked about a proposal to form a selection panel for the post.
“We are thinking of forming a panel before appointing the AG and additional AGs so that we get the right people for the job,” Lyngdoh said.
According to him, the government may also scout for legal experts serving outside the state.
Stating that there is no hard and fast rule for appointment of an advocate general or additional advocate generals, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “This is because the government can appoint anybody who it deems fit to take the post and it can also stop the appointment at any time.”
At present, Meghalaya is having at least three additional advocate generals (AAGs).
The High Court will hear the case pertaining to the PIL filed by the Civil Society Women’s Organisation (CSWO) seeking disqualification of MLAs who are also holding posts of elected members in the district councils tomorrow.