By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Shillong Bar Association has come a long way since its inception to attain its centenary year which will be celebrated with a formal function on Wednesday.
The Shillong Bar Association was established in 1913 when the country was still under the rule of the British.
Shedding light on the long journey, the Shillong Bar Association president CP Upadhyaya said, “At that time, the Deputy Commissioner or his assistant used to preside and decide on the cases as a magistrate.”
Upadhyaya informed that the lawyers from the Bar Association even took active participation in Quit India movement besides the Food Crisis Movement
With the passage of time, the lawyers fraternity in Shillong expanded and lawyers who had knowledge of English started appearing before the court of the Deputy Commissioner for different litigation cases.
During the initial years, the association operated on the premises allotted in the establishment of the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
In course of time it was allotted its own space, adjacent to the district courts, which it continues to occupy till date.
The Shillong Bar Association is one of the oldest bar associations in the northeastern region and has produced various stalwarts like Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed who later went on to become the president of India.
Prominent personalities like BB Lyngdoh, GS Massar, Maham Singh and Bindo M Lanong were also lawyers from the Shillong Bar Association.
The lawyers’ fraternity has grown over the time and now there are more than 650 lawyers under the banner of Shillong Bar Association.
Stating that advocacy has undergone change with the ad vent of law colleges, Upadhyaya expressed confidence that lawyers of the Shillong Bar Association will render good legal service to litigants in days to come.
According to Upadhya, the Shillong Bar Association is still in need of proper facilities and infrastructure from the Government.