Gangtok, Oct. 19 -- The Bar Association of Sikkim (High Court and Subordinate Courts) has urged President Droupadi Murmu to defer the swearing-in of Governor-designate Dushyant Kumar Gautam and keep his appointment warrant in abeyance pending the resolution of the controversy surrounding the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case.
Dushyant Kumar Gautam was sworn in as the Governor of Sikkim on Monday, succeeding Om Prakash Mathur.
State Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque administered the oath to Gautam.
The association's appeal came before the scheduled oath-taking, but the ceremony proceeded as planned.
The Association President Tashi Rapten Burfungpa told LiveLaw that they were not making any direct personal allegations or prejudging guilt, which remained within the investigative and judicial domain.
Stating that the concern was institutional, he said, "The office of the Governor is the highest constitutional seat in the state. When persistent public controversy surrounds an appointee, and the matter has drawn nationwide concern, public probity requires that the air be conclusively cleared before the oath was administered, not after."
The association said Sikkim was known for its peace, communal harmony and adherence to constitutional values, and expressed concern that proceeding with the appointment under the shadow of an unresolved controversy could undermine the dignity and institutional standing of the state.
Clarifying that it was not making any direct personal allegations or prejudging guilt, which it said remained within the judicial domain, the association stated that
Gautam's name had repeatedly figured in public controversy and
demands for an investigation in connection with the 2022 murder case.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.