Guwahati, Jan 11 (PTI) The Gauhati High Court Bar Association on Sunday began a four-hour strike to boycott the foundation stone laying of the new high court complex, to be done by the Chief Justice of India.
A new complex of the Gauhati High Court has been proposed as part of a judicial township at Rangmahal in North Guwahati and CJI, Justice Surya Kant, is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of it later in the day.
The members of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) took part in a four-hour hunger strike on Thursday and Friday in front of the old building of the Gauhati High Court.
"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 told PTI.
The GHCBA has been opposing the move to shift the court complex from the beginning, but the government has unilaterally decided and is now going ahead to construct a new judicial infrastructure, he alleged.
"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," Borthakur said.
The GHCBA has been vehemently opposing the relocation of the high court complex to the northern bank of Brahmaputra from the existing place at the heart of Guwahati city.
Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia on Saturday criticised the GHCBA, claiming that there was a "nexus with political parties" behind the protest.
The government is planning to construct the new judicial township at Rangmahal, spread across 148 bighas (nearly 49 acres) of land.
In November last year, the state cabinet had approved Rs 479 crore in the first phase to construct a judicial township in North Guwahati.
Earlier, GHCBA had demanded an immediate halt to the project in the interest of all stakeholders and the public at large.
The Gauhati High Court is presently located in the Uzan Bazar area of central Guwahati on the southern bank of Brahmaputra. It has a historical building, while a state-of-the-art multi-crore modern multi-storey structure was constructed and inaugurated a few years ago.
Both the buildings are located face-to-face on two sides of Mahatma Gandhi Road and are connected through an underground tunnel, having escalator facilities.
The Assam government is seeking to develop the riverfront of Brahmaputra, for which it requires the high court land. A new convention centre is also being built next to the old high court complex on the riverbank. PTI TR TR RG
