Gauhati High Court lawyers boycott CJI event over proposed relocation

The Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) on January 11 began a four-hour strike to boycott the foundation stone laying of a proposed new high court complex in North Guwahati, scheduled to be attended by the Chief Justice of India.

The new complex is planned as part of a judicial township at Rangmahal on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra. Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant is slated to lay the foundation stone later in the day.

Members of the GHCBA have intensified their protest against the proposed relocation, staging hunger strikes for four hours each on Thursday and Friday in front of the existing high court building.

“We are completely against shifting the high court from the present location, which is the heart of the city. We have begun our hunger strike from 10 am to 2 pm. None of our members will attend the function,” GHCBA vice-president Santanu Borthakur said.

According to the association, the decision to move the court complex has been taken unilaterally by the government, despite sustained opposition from lawyers since the proposal was first mooted. Borthakur said the bar body is now considering legal action. “As it appears, the foundation stone will be laid today. After this, we are thinking of challenging this in court. Our executive committee will meet within the next few days and decide the future course of action,” he said.

The GHCBA has consistently opposed shifting the court from its current site in central Guwahati to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, citing inconvenience to litigants and lawyers and the importance of the existing location.

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

The Assam government plans to build the new judicial township at Rangmahal over 148 bighas, or nearly 49 acres, of land. In November last year, the state cabinet approved Rs 479 crore for the first phase of the project.

The Gauhati High Court is currently located in the Uzan Bazar area on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra. The complex includes a historic colonial-era building and a modern multi-storey structure built at a cost of several crores and inaugurated a few years ago. The two buildings face each other across Mahatma Gandhi Road and are connected by an underground tunnel with escalator facilities.

The state government has argued that relocating the court is necessary to free up land for the Brahmaputra riverfront development project. A new convention centre is also coming up next to the existing high court complex along the riverbank.