Guwahati, Jan 11: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant is set to lay the foundation stone of a large integrated Judicial Court Complex at Rangmahal in North Guwahati on January 11, marking a significant expansion of Assam’s judicial infrastructure. The project is being projected by the state government as a transformative step towards creating a modern and efficient judicial ecosystem.
Officials said the proposed complex, envisioned as a judicial city, will be developed over 148 bighas, approximately 48 acres of land. Phase I of the project is estimated to involve an expenditure of around Rs 479 crore and will house the Gauhati High Court, district court buildings and a range of integrated facilities designed to enhance access to justice and improve the speed of case disposal.
Chief Justice Surya Kant arrived in Guwahati on Saturday evening ahead of the ceremony and attended a cultural programme followed by a dinner hosted in his honour. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and several other senior dignitaries were present at the event.
The foundation stone laying, however, comes amid resistance from a section of the legal fraternity. The Gauhati High Court Bar Association has announced a four-hour hunger strike from 10 am on Sunday in protest against the proposed relocation of the high court to North Guwahati. The association has expressed concerns over shifting the court from its current location in Uzan Bazar.
Reacting to the protest, Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia alleged that the agitation was influenced by a “nexus with political parties,” a claim that has further sharpened the debate surrounding the project.
At present, the Gauhati High Court operates from Uzan Bazar in central Guwahati on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra. The campus comprises a heritage structure and a modern multi-storey building inaugurated in recent years. The two buildings stand opposite each other across Mahatma Gandhi Road and are connected by an underground tunnel equipped with escalators.
Officials indicated that the proposed relocation is linked to the state government’s plan to redevelop the Brahmaputra riverfront, which would require acquisition of the existing high court land. This aspect of the redevelopment plan has added to the controversy, even as the government maintains that the new complex will significantly strengthen judicial infrastructure in the state.
