Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday laid the foundation stone for an integrated Judicial Court Complex in North Guwahati in Assam's Kamrup district, amid protests by the Gauhati High Court Bar Association.
A new complex of the Gauhati High Court --which serves as the high court for Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland-- has been proposed as part of the judicial township, triggering protests from the lawyers.
Expressing surprise at the protests, the CJI remarked that "personal vested interest should not be valid grounds" for resisting the development of new infrastructure.
"Those opposing the new court complex are either ill-informed or not realising the needs of new members of the bar. Personal vested interests should not be valid grounds for opposing development of infrastructure for the future," the CJI said after laying the foundation stone for the facility at Rangmahal in North Guwahati.
"The integrated Judicial Court Complex is envisaged to match aspirations of the future," he said, adding that the site for the new complex is 'strategically positioned' and will provide all facilities under one roof.
As the head of the country's judiciary, Justice Kant stressed that he is bound to cater to the needs of those coming into the profession.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, and several dignitaries were also present at the event.
Meanwhile, the Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) boycotted the event and continued a four-hour hunger strike that was launched on Thursday 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 earlier today.
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.
The association said they will challenge the government's action in the court.
"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 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.
(With inputs from PTI)