Meghalaya High Court Bar Association accuses Advocate General of excessive fees

The Meghalaya High Court Bar Association has accused Advocate General Amit Kumar of charging the state government Rs 1.5 lakh per court appearance in a district-level Commercial Court case. The association claims the total bill for these appearances reportedly exceeds Rs 1 crore.

These allegations contradict previous statements made by Kumar, who maintained that his fees were restricted to government-approved rates of Rs 20,000 per appearance in the High Court and Rs 40,000 in the Supreme Court, in addition to a monthly retainer of Rs 50,000. The association claims to have obtained invoices via an anonymous source that show charges for the Commercial Court, a district-level venue, between 2021 and 2023.

Secretary General Kishore Gautam stated that the documents have raised questions regarding state expenditure and reinforced the association’s ongoing demand for Kumar’s removal. The association is currently pursuing Right to Information (RTI) applications to obtain further details regarding these payments.