Guwahati

Members of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) on Thursday began a three-day hunger strike, protesting the Assam government’s decision to shift the Gauhati High Court complex from its current location in central Guwahati to North Guwahati.

The protest, which will be observed for six hours each day, commenced at 10 am in front of the historic old building of the Gauhati High Court. The agitation is being led by GHCBA president K N Choudhury and follows a resolution adopted at an emergent Extra-Ordinary General Meeting of the Association earlier this week.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Bar Association said the hunger strike was being undertaken as a “peaceful and democratic expression” of its opposition to the proposed relocation of the principal seat of the High Court. Members of the Association will continue the protest on Friday and Sunday as well.

The government has proposed the construction of a new Gauhati High Court complex as part of a judicial township at Rangmahal in North Guwahati. The foundation stone for the project is scheduled to be laid on January 11 by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant. However, the GHCBA has decided to boycott the ceremony.

“The General Body, after detailed deliberations, has once again reiterated its consistent stand opposing the shifting of the principal seat of the Hon’ble Gauhati High Court from its present location,” the Association said, referring to earlier resolutions and a referendum conducted among its members.

Appealing for unity, the GHCBA urged all advocates to honour the collective decision of the General Body and abstain from attending the foundation stone-laying event.

The Bar Association has strongly objected to relocating the High Court from the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in central Guwahati to the river’s northern bank, citing concerns affecting lawyers, litigants and the general public.

According to the proposal, the judicial township at Rangmahal will be developed on 129 bighas of land, spanning more than 42.5 acres. In November last year, the Assam cabinet approved an allocation of Rs 479 crore for the first phase of construction.

Earlier, the GHCBA had called for an immediate suspension of the project, arguing that the relocation is not in the interest of stakeholders or the public.

At present, the Gauhati High Court functions from the Uzan Bazar area of Guwahati, housing both a heritage structure and a modern multi-storey building inaugurated a few years ago. The two buildings, located on opposite sides of Mahatma Gandhi Road, are connected by an underground tunnel equipped with escalator facilities.

READ MORE: Nawabzada Mohammad Asif Ali shows the humble side of royalty

The Assam government has said the relocation is part of a broader plan to develop the Brahmaputra riverfront, which would require the acquisition of the existing High Court land.