Guv replaces advocate general

Shillong, Mar 31  : Meghalaya Governor R S Mooshahary today removed Advocate General G S Massar acting on whose legal advice the Assembly Speaker had ignored the Governor's directives to the presiding officer on how to conduct the trust vote won by the NCP government in the state.

Mooshahary, prior to the controversial March 17 trust vote, had sent a list of directives to Speaker B M Lanong, which included an instruction to maintain status quo of the voting rights of the members.

Lanong, acting on Massars advice, ignored the directives and suspended the voting rights of five rebel MLAs who had deserted the ruling Meghalaya Progressive Alliance.

Lanong, quoting the written legal opinion of Massar, had told the assembly ahead of the trust vote that the Governor cannot send such instructions relating to the duties of the Speaker.

The Governor named K S Kynjing as the new advocate general.