Court Relocation row: Gauhati HC urges CM to reconsider resignation

Guwahati, May 4: The executive committee of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association has urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to reconsider his decision to resign as a member of the association in the larger interest of the institution and the legal fraternity.

Earlier, on April 30, Sarma tendered his resignation from the membership of the association, citing “conflict of interest”. He has taken the decision, as the association is opposing the move of the state government to shift the Gauhati High Court to North Guwahati.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, the association urged him to withdraw the resignation and said, “While we understand that your resignation is premised on the concern of a perceived ‘conflict of interest”, we are of the view that such apprehension, though founded on principles, may not necessitate dissociation from the association, especially considering the deep institutional connection and the inspiration your continued membership provides to the legal community.”

The association also appreciated the concern of the Chief Minister regarding the infrastructural limitations of the present High Court premises and his commitment to resolve these issues through development initiatives.

In the same letter, the Gauhati High Court Bar Association cited a number of measures for modernisation of the infrastructure of the High Court in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, including extension of the new annexe building towards riverside by utilising the vacant lands and vertical expansion of the annexe building up to seven floors.

“With meticulous planning and phased implementation, the infrastructural requirements may be addressed at an estimated cost of around Rs 70 crore, thereby potentially saving nearly Rs 900 crore from the projected expenditure,” the letter read.

At the same time, the Bar Association also proposed to allocate Rs 10 crore in the upcoming state budget to start a stipend scheme for junior advocates with up to five years of practice enrolled with the Gauhati High Court Bar Association to support them in the formative years of the profession.

It also raised a proposal to create a corpus fund of Rs 10 crore to provide pensionary benefits to senior members of the Bar aged 65 years and above and earmark a fund of Rs 10 crore to institute a comprehensive health insurance scheme for the members of the Association and their dependents.

By

Staff Reporter