Guwahati: A fresh and formal demand for setting up a Circuit Bench or a Permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court in the Barak Valley has been raised, highlighting the persistent hardships faced by litigants and lawyers due to distance and poor connectivity with Guwahati. Senior advocate Dharmananda Deb of the Silchar Bar has submitted a detailed representation to the Chief Justice of India, the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court and the Government of Assam, seeking reconsideration of the long-pending demand. He pointed out that the Barak Valley lies nearly 350 km from Guwahati, with road and rail links frequently disrupted by floods and landslides, making access to the High Court uncertain, time-consuming and costly.
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The representation stated that the absence of a High Court Bench has adversely affected access to justice, particularly for economically weaker sections. It noted that the difficulty in approaching the principal seat has restricted the filing of writ petitions, public interest litigations and urgent constitutional matters.
Deb also referred to statutory provisions under the States’ Reorganisation Act, 1956 and the North Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, which allow for the establishment of High Court benches in geographically vast or difficult regions. He recalled that a proposal for a Barak Valley Bench was considered in 2014 but deferred. Arguing that circumstances have since changed due to population growth, rising litigation and improved infrastructure, the representation cited successful High Court benches in Madurai, Jaipur, Siliguri and Hubballi. It urged the state government to revive the proposal, stating that a Bench in the Barak Valley would ease hardship, reduce pendency and strengthen access to justice in southern Assam.
