The Assam government has cleared a major infrastructure project to construct a state-of-the-art judicial township in North Guwahati, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announcing that the cabinet has approved ₹479 crore for the project’s first phase. Spread over 100 bighas of land at Rangmahal, the township is envisioned as a modern complex housing court buildings, administrative offices, and residential quarters for judges and staff.
But the ambitious plan has met with sharp resistance from the state’s legal fraternity, which has accused the government of acting unilaterally and without consultation. Several senior advocates, including top members of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association, have voiced strong objections, calling the move “unnecessary” and “premature.”
Speaking to Northeast Scoop, senior advocate Kamal Narayan Choudhury, president of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association, questioned the rationale behind the project. 
“There is no immediate necessity of shifting the High Court because the present premises were constructed only in 2014,” he said. “All that we need is some infrastructure, which can be constructed in the present premises because we have a plot of land on the riverside. By spending about ₹30–40 crore, all our shortcomings can be addressed. So there is no requirement of taking a ₹1,500 crore loan and making some new construction.”
Choudhury, who was also the Bar president when the current High Court complex was inaugurated, said the existing infrastructure was designed to meet the judiciary’s needs for decades.
“It’s absolutely not required — at least not today or for the next 10 years. Maybe 20 or 25 years later, if the city needs decongesting, such a move can be considered. But presently, there is no such necessity,” he added.
The Bar Association president also expressed strong displeasure at the lack of consultation with the legal community.
“These are all decisions taken without our consent. It was never the demand of the lawyers or the High Court that we are facing space constraints. And the claim that lawyers were consulted is completely false. Never, never, never were we consulted,” he said.
Choudhury described as “unprecedented” the High Court’s statement suggesting that lawyers would be consulted only after the decision was taken.
“What nonsense! It can’t be like that. It’s very unfortunate,” he remarked.
The Association, he said, will continue to oppose the project “through every legal and democratic means.”
Echoing similar concerns, senior advocate Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury said that such a unilateral move undermines the collaborative nature of the justice system.
“Lawyers are an integral part of the judiciary. Without lawyers, judges cannot function. Yet the government and the High Court have taken this decision without taking us into confidence,” he said.
He warned that the project could create major practical challenges.
“It will take much more time and cause logistical issues considering Guwahati’s traffic and connectivity. Despite our repeated objections, the government is going ahead at the dictation of the Chief Justice and the Chief Minister,” Hafiz Rashid said.
Lawyers across Assam have called the plan wasteful, arguing that the government should focus instead on improving the existing High Court infrastructure and basic facilities for advocates, staff, and litigants.
While the government claims the proposed township will help decongest the city and modernise judicial infrastructure, the legal community views it as a misplaced priority.
As one senior advocate summed it up — “This is about optics, not necessity. Strengthen what already exists before building something new.”
