Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma resigns from Gauhati High Court Bar Association over the association’s objections to shifting the Hight Court

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned from Gauhati High Court Bar Association over objections to constructions of a new judicial township. The Bar Association is opposing the shifting the high court to a new location on North Guwahati, a decision taken jointly by the state govt and the high court.

The CM cited moral conflict with the association’s stance against the proposed Judicial Township at Rangmahal in North Guwahati, and therefore resigned from the association. Last month, the state’s Advocate General Devajit Saikia, who is also the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, had resigned from the Gauhati High Court Bar Association over the same issue.

Talking to media, CM Sharma said, “It is within my duties as the Chief Minister to construct the new High Court building. However, the bar association is opposed to this decision. Given the conflict of interest, I have resigned from the bar association.”

In his resignation letter, he also explained why the High Court needs to be shifted, expressing concern over the inadequate infrastructure at the current premises. “The existing infrastructure of our High Court has miserably failed to meet present-day requirements, and the situation will only worsen,” he wrote. He noted that he was in active law practice in the High Court from 1994 to 2001.

The CM pointed to several issues, including lack of space, inadequate parking, and the absence of basic amenities at the existing High Court complex. He added that with the number of judges expected to increase from 22 to 30, the current facilities would be unable to cope. He also said junior lawyers continue to face challenges due to cramped conditions and limited workspace.

The chief minister also said that the decision to shift the High Court to the proposed Judicial Township at Rangmahal in North Guwahati was taken as per recommendation of the full court in 2023. The site was selected by a High-Powered Committee in consultation with the Chief Justice and approved by the Full Court, he added.

The bar association has been alleging that the decision was taken unilaterally, without consulting it, and the site was selected for the political benefit of Sharma, as it is in his constituency. They are also claiming that the new site lacks necessary infrastructure.

The CM dismissed all the allegations, noting that the state government had proposed six sites, and the Rangmahal site was selected by a committee including HC judges and was approved by the full court. He further noted that after the recent delimitation, the site is no longer part of his constituency.

Referring to infrastructure issues, CM Sharma said that after the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge over Brahmaputra and Guwahati Ring Road project including Narengi-Kuruwa bridge over Brahmputra are completed, the place will have much better infrastructure. “Moreover, with the upcoming Ring Road and Narengi-Kurua Bridge Project over Brahmaputra, the whole of Rang Mahal, North Guwahati will become heart and centre of Guwahati City within next 4/5 years,” he added.

Notably, the North-Guwahati bridge is nearing completion and will be opened this year. The proposed Judicial Township area is just 5 km away from the bridge. While at present it takes a long time to travel from Guwahati to North Guwahati, the new bridge will reduce travel time to just minutes.

CM Sharma also proposed to convert the existing High Court buildings into a judicial museum to preserve their historical value.

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