Dimapur, Jan. 30: Continuing its war of words with the Nagaland Bar Association (NBA), the Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF) on Monday fired yet another verbal salvo at the legal fraternity of Nagaland stating that professional ethics of a practicing lawyer/advocate requires that they only read out contents of a court judgment to which they have contested.
“The people are ignorant of the law and the Constitution. The president and the Nagaland Bar Association will be appreciated if they can file a case and bring out the correct interpretation of the law by the court and give the information to the people and in this context the Naga people. Till such time the people are prepared to await and wish you all the best.
“The people need to be protected. File the case at the earliest and save the Naga people. Till such time, adhere to your professional ethics. The Nagaland Bar Association needs to survive its status for the legal professionals and more so, for the people of the state of Nagaland,” read a statement from the NPF press and media bureau.
It also termed an unnamed newspaper article as ‘nothing but a presumption of a weird mind’, and without any legal basis. “Town committees functioning are not a new thinking to the Nagas. In fact, Kohima has celebrated hundred years of township. There is no difference between town committee and town council. Municipal council is a promotion status of town council.”
It went on to state: “Under the present Municipal and Town Council Act (of) 2001, Kohima and Dimapur have successfully functioned from 2004 to 2009 and with government nominees after 2009 when election was not held. The CEOs continues to function in totality till today as DMC and KMC. How much taxes are realized and who have paid 15 percent of their land and property during these period. If Kahuto Chishi Sumi is ignorant of the act functioning of municipal and town council, do not confuse the people with his name.”
On a news report in which the Angami Public Organisation had reportedly accused chief minister TR Zeliang and NPF chief Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu of making a ‘u-turn’ on 33% reservation for women in urban local bodies, the party’s publicity wing claimed that it was ‘more of a fault finding approach to the present issue.’
“If it is out of genuine concern for the people and Article 371A, the reason as to why the government has revoked its own resolution should be the question, and not accusation. The Assembly resolution was aimed at, and as a strategy measure to avoid implementation of honourable high court direction to implement 33 % women reservation. The government took this exercise in respecting the wishes of the call by the Naga Hoho and various tribal Hoho against the 33 % reservation.
“However, the women group challenged the assembly resolution in the Supreme Court through a special leave petition. The argument that the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments supersede Article 371 (A) is not going to go well with the Naga people and when the advocates in the Supreme Court are honestly expressing that they do not see a winnable argument that the Article 243-T of part IX (A) of the Constitution infringes Article 371 (A).”
Claiming that the two leaders had taken the best ‘recourse for the Naga people’, it stated the people “should appreciate the leadership.”
