Shillong, March 22: A move is on to set up a separate high court for Meghalaya with the state government taking steps in this regard.

This was informed by deputy chief minister in-charge of law Bindo Lanong in the Assembly today.

Replying to a question by Independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri, Lanong said though the state government was keen to set up a separate high court, it was up to the Union government to give the final nod.

“As and when the Centre decides, the separate high court for Meghalaya will be set up,” Lanong said.

At present, Meghalaya has only a permanent bench of Gauhati High Court, set up in Shillong on February 4, 1995.

Lanong said the Union government would be approached to set up a separate high court and added that infrastructure needed to be developed and more judges and judicial officers should be appointed before setting up a high court.

To a supplementary question, the deputy chief minister said the state government had already written to the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court for appointment of more judicial officers in the state.

He said the state has its own quota of judges to be appointed and the matter was taken up with the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court.

To another question by Chaudhuri on the benefits of setting up a separate high court, Lanong said Article 214 of the Constitution provides provisions to set up separate high courts for every state.

He said a separate high court for the state could help in disposing of thousands of pending cases.

Moreover, a lot of time and money can be saved if Meghalaya has a separate high court, he said.

To a question by NCP legislator Conrad Sangma, the deputy chief minister said in 1986, the then chief minister Captain W.A. Sangma had written a letter to the Centre on the need to set up a separate high court for the state.

Again in June 2004, former chief minister D.D. Lapang had written to the Centre raising the same demand.

Lanong said in May last year, chief minister Mukul Sangma also wrote a letter seeking the Union government’s nod to have a separate high court.

“Last year during the meeting of law ministers of all the states, I had taken up the issue with the Union law minister and he said the Centre was willing to set up a high court for Meghalaya,” Lanong said.

He said the Union government recently assured a delegation of MPs from the Northeast that separate high courts will be set up in Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura.

To a supplementary question by Chaudhuri, Lanong said he was willing to write to the Union law minister to pursue the matter.