Lawyers To Protest On June 27 Against Shifting Of Gauhati HC To North Guwahati

GUWAHATI: Scores of lawyers of the Gauhati High Court have planned a demonstration on June 27 to protest against the decision of the state government for shifting the court from its current location in the heart of Guwahati to North Guwahati, on the opposite bank of the Brahmaputra.

The Assam government took the decision last month to shift the historic high court and proposed a plot of land in the Rangmahal area at Amingaon in North Guwahati for that purpose. In order to examine the pros and cons of the proposed land site, a high-level committee was also constituted on June 15.

President of Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) advocate Mrinal Kumar Choudhury informed that a memorandum has been sent by the association to President Droupadi Murmu on June 16, demanding that the decision to shift the high court and other ancillary courts to the proposed site be revoked.

The association’s memorandum was also addressed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, chief justice of Gauhati High Court Sandeep Mehta and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Advocate Choudhury also said that the association expressed its deep anguish and resentment on the one-sided decision of the state government.

The association stated in the memorandum that as Guwahati is a premier city of the northeast, it is connected not just with the state and the region but the entire country. It also has the necessary conveniences in terms of public transport, hotel accommodations and other amenities. The city’s location makes it convenient for people coming here from all parts of the state.

Moreover, it was pointed out by the association that one has to travel around 30 km through the Saraighat Bridge over the Brahmaputra to reach the proposed site at North Guwahati from Guwahati.

"The members of the Bar, who are not only the important stakeholders but in fact an integral part of the justice dispensation process, were unanimous that the move be opposed tooth and nail as the same is not only unreasonable but also undermines not only the role of the members of the Bar in the justice dispensation system but even the convenience of the litigant public in general," Choudhury said.

The association president also said that the Bar categorically opposes the move to shift the high court and other courts to North Guwahati.

The Gauhati High Court building was constructed in the year 1951, although it has been functioning from Guwahati since 1948. A new annexe building was completed in 2013 at the cost of around Rs 100 crores, to fulfill the requirement for additional space in tune with the times.

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