CJI to lay foundation stone of new judicial complex in North Guwahati amid bar protest

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, on January 11, will lay the foundation stone for an integrated Judicial Court Complex at Rangmahal in Assam’s North Guwahati, a project projected as a major expansion of the state’s judicial infrastructure.

The proposed complex, described by officials as a modern judicial city, will be developed over 148 bighas, or about 48 acres. Phase I of the project is estimated to cost around Rs 479 crore and will accommodate the Gauhati High Court, district court buildings and a range of integrated facilities aimed at improving access to justice and speeding up case disposal.

The Chief Justice arrived in Guwahati on Saturday evening and attended a cultural programme and dinner hosted in his honour. Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with several other dignitaries, was present at the event.

The foundation-laying ceremony, however, comes against the backdrop of opposition from sections of the legal fraternity. Members of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association have announced a four-hour hunger strike from 10 am on Sunday, protesting against the proposed relocation of the high court to the new site.

Responding to the protest, Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia criticised the association, alleging that there was a “nexus with political parties” behind the agitation.

At present, the Gauhati High Court functions from Uzan Bazar in central Guwahati on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra. The campus includes a heritage building and a modern multi-storey structure built and inaugurated in recent years. The two buildings face each other across Mahatma Gandhi Road and are connected by an underground tunnel equipped with escalators.

According to officials, the state government’s plan to redevelop the Brahmaputra riverfront requires acquisition of the existing high court land, a move that has added to the controversy surrounding the proposed shift to North Guwahati.