GHC Bar Launches Hunger Strike Against High Court Shift to North Guwahati

The Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) launched a four-hour hunger strike on Sunday and announced a boycott of the Chief Justice of India’s foundation stone-laying ceremony for the proposed new high court complex at Rangmahal in North Guwahati. The association has strongly opposed the relocation of the high court from its current central location in Uzan Bazar, Guwahati, to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, arguing that the existing site remains the most convenient and accessible for litigants, lawyers, and the public.

GHCBA vice president Santanu Borthakur stated that no members would attend the event scheduled to be officiated by CJI Justice Surya Kant later in the day. He accused the state government of taking a unilateral decision to proceed with the judicial township project despite consistent opposition from the bar. The association has previously demanded an immediate halt to the initiative and is now considering legal action, with its executive committee set to meet soon to decide the next steps.

The proposed judicial township spans nearly 49 acres at Rangmahal, with the Assam government approving ₹479 crore in the first phase last November. The government maintains that the relocation is part of a broader plan to develop the Brahmaputra riverfront, which includes constructing a new convention centre adjacent to the existing high court complex. The current premises consist of a historic building and a modern multi-storey structure connected by an underground tunnel, both situated in the heart of the city.

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Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia criticised the GHCBA’s protest on Saturday, alleging a nexus with political parties behind the demonstrations. Despite the accusations, the bar association has remained firm in its stance, emphasising that the shift would inconvenience thousands of daily users and disrupt the established judicial ecosystem in central Guwahati.

The standoff highlights a growing conflict between the bar’s demand for continuity and the state’s vision for modern infrastructure development along the riverbank. With the foundation stone laying proceeding as planned, the GHCBA’s boycott and threat of legal challenge indicate that the dispute over the high court’s future location is far from resolved.

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