Guwahati, Oct. 19 -- The Bar Association of Sikkim has called on President Droupadi Murmu to defer the swearing-in ceremony of Governor-designate Dushyant Kumar Gautam until concerns linked to the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand are addressed.

The Governor-designate is scheduled to take the oath on October 19.

The association sent its request to Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 18, seeking a temporary halt to the appointment process while the allegations are scrutinised, calls for a probe are considered and the appropriate authorities determine the matter.

In the submission signed by its general secretary, the association said the issue had implications for the credibility of constitutional institutions. It also called for p...