Barak Valley renews push for Gauhati High Court bench, memorandum submitted

Silchar, April 25: The long-standing demand for the establishment of a permanent bench of the Gauhati High Court in Barak Valley has gained renewed traction, with a formal memorandum submitted to the Assam Chief Secretary by the High Court Bench Demand Implementation Committee, Cachar District Unit.

The memorandum was routed through the Joint Secretary at the Barak Valley Secretariat in Srikona, marking what sources describe as the first such formal appeal made via the newly established administrative setup.

The move is being seen as a significant step in pushing the decades-old demand into a more structured policy discussion.

In the memorandum, the committee urged the State Government to take immediate and concrete steps to establish a permanent High Court bench at a suitable location in Barak Valley.

The demand, they said, is rooted in the persistent hardships faced by litigants who currently have to travel nearly 400 kilometres to Guwahati to access the High Court.

Advocate Dhurba Kumar Saha, president of the committee, emphasised that the issue has been affecting residents for years.

“This is not a new demand. People of Barak Valley and adjoining districts have been suffering for decades due to the absence of a nearby High Court bench,” he said. He pointed out that the long distance results in financial burdens, delays in legal proceedings, and significant inconvenience, especially for senior citizens, women, and economically weaker sections.

Highlighting the constitutional dimension of the demand, Advocate Dharmananda Deb, an executive member of the committee, stressed that access to justice is a fundamental right.

“Access to justice is integral to Article 21 of the Constitution. Decentralisation of judicial institutions is essential to ensure that justice reaches the people efficiently,” he said.

The memorandum also presented data to underline the urgency of the issue. It stated that an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 cases are filed annually from Barak Valley and neighbouring districts such as Dima Hasao, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the Gauhati High Court’s total caseload.

The committee argued that setting up a local bench would significantly reduce the burden on litigants while also improving judicial efficiency.

Further strengthening its case, the committee cited precedents from other northeastern states where separate benches or principal seats have been established to address similar geographical and logistical challenges.

It also referred to provisions under Section 51 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, which empowers the establishment of permanent benches within a state.

Calling the demand both “long-pending and justified,” the committee has urged the State Government to act within a reasonable timeframe.