Meghalaya advocate general quits

Meghalaya's Advocate General K.S.Kynjing on Monday submitted his resignation ahead of Tuesday's court crucial hearing on a PIL seeking disqualification of eight sitting legislators, who are also members of the autonomous district councils in the state.

"He (Kynjing) has put in his papers. The government has not formally accepted his resignation," Chief Secretary P.B.O.Warjri told IANS.

Kynjing's resignation came after the high court pulled him up on several issues during the hearings, and even termed the senior advocate "weak and helpless ".

On Tuesday, the court will hear a PIL filed by RTI activist Agnes Kharshiing, seeking disqualification of the eight legislators.

The case is lying pending in the court since November 3, 2014, awaiting the decision of Governor V. Shanmuganathan.

The full bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh, Justice T. Nandakumar Singh and Justice S.R.Sen had noted that the disqualification of eight legislators holding dual post is left to the governor under the constitution's article 192 to take an appropriate decision.

Shanmuganathan has given assent to Prevention of Disqualification (Members of Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya) (Amendment) Act 2015, which prohibits legislators from holding another elected office.

Eight legislators barring senior Congress legislator P.N. Syiem, who is the present chief executive member of the Khasi Hill Autonomous District Council (KHADC), have quit the KHADC and Jaintia Hill Autonomous District Council (JHADC) in view of the new legislation.

Under the constitutions's sixth schedule, Meghalaya has three distr ict councils - for the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills - having powers on myriad issues such as forests, tax collection, and so on.