The Meghalaya High Court has closed contempt proceedings against advocates for
participating in the abstention from judicial work called by the Shillong Bar Association and the Meghalaya High Court Bar Association, after accepting their
unconditional apologies and assurances that they would not participate in any such abstention in future.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew, passed the order on Wednesday in a PIL registered suo motu following a September 30 resolution by the bar associations, calling for abstention from judicial work across Meghalaya from October 1 until the state government removed the Advocate General from his post.
The court had issued notices under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, read with Article 215 of the Constitution of India, on October 8 to the advocates mentioned in its earlier order.
During a hearing on October 13, all advocates, except Nurina N. Lyngdoh and Stevie R. Lyngdoh, appeared before the court and tendered unconditional apologies, seeking time to file affidavits.
The court was informed that Nurina N. Lyngdoh and Stevie R. Lyngdoh had resigned from their respective posts as assistant secretary and executive member of the Shillong Bar Association, before the resolution calling for abstention was passed. Accordingly, contempt proceedings against them were dropped.
The court also dropped proceedings against K.S. Kynjing and N. Syngkon, who filed affidavits stating that they had not participated in the call for abstention and submitted documents showing that they had appeared before the courts despite the call.