DIMAPUR, AUGUST 31 (MExN): The Nagaland Bar Association (NBA) has called on the State government to appoint the Advocate General of Nagaland from among members of the legal fraternity in the State, setting a three-month deadline that expires on September 13, 2026.
In a representation submitted to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on June 13, the NBA said the demand was based on a resolution adopted at its Executive Committee meeting on June 8, attended by its federating units. The Bar stated that it had submitted representations from time to time seeking appointment of the Advocate General from among members of the State's legal fraternity, but claimed that its representations and meetings with the government had "remained fruitless."
According to Resolution No. 1 adopted at the meeting, the NBA resolved that the government must appoint the Advocate General from among members of the legal fraternity in Nagaland within three months. "Failure in this regard will entail consequential action, including and not limited to, the boycott of the incumbent Advocate General in all proceedings, whether physical or virtual and other actions as may be appropriate," the resolution stated.
The NBA said the three-month period would expire on September 13 and that a copy of its memorandum was also endorsed to the incumbent Advocate General. The Bar also raised concerns over the prolonged construction of the new High Court Complex at Meriema, stating that construction began in 2007 and remains incomplete nearly two decades later.
The NBA resolved to urge the government to take "appropriate steps for completing the new High Court Complex, Meriema at the earliest." The association said it was the responsibility of the State to develop infrastructure for a "robust and effective Judiciary," describing the judiciary as one of the three organs of the State.
The NBA further stated that it was "a slur upon the legal fraternity in the State" for the government, more than six decades after statehood, to suggest that the legal profession had not come of age or lacked competent members for appointment as Advocate General. "The Judiciary cannot be treated as an 'unwanted organ' of the State, capable of being relegated to the background," the Bar stated.
The NBA said both issues were of "utmost importance to public interest" and asserted that Nagaland needed a robust and effective judiciary. It also reiterated that the Chief Legal Officer of the State should be appointed from among members of the legal fraternity in Nagaland.
In its representation, the Bar said the government was being put "on notice" and demanded the appointment of the Advocate General within the stipulated three-month period. It also sought allocation of adequate resources on a priority basis for completion of the new High Court Complex at Meriema.
