Overview
- CJI Surya Kant is slated to preside over Sunday’s foundation ceremony for an integrated judicial complex at Rangmahal in North Guwahati.
- The Gauhati High Court Bar Association is holding time-limited hunger strikes and will boycott the event, after a referendum saw 1,164 of 1,358 lawyers oppose the move.
- Opponents warn the shift would hinder access to justice for litigants and junior and women lawyers, citing poor transport links and recent upgrades at the Uzanbazar campus.
- An alleged message reported by The Quint pressed government lawyers to attend the ceremony under threat of being barred from departmental work, drawing criticism from the Bar.
- The government cites a 2023 full-court decision and approved financing, including Rs 479 crore for phase one, while lawyers point to possible legal obstacles under the North Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act and a Supreme Court stay in a similar Uttarakhand case.