Bar's opposition to shifting Gauhati High Court to new building totally misconceived: Justice Sandeep Mehta

Opposition by certain sections of the bar to the shifting of current Gauhati High Court complex to another site is totally misconceived, Justice Sandeep Mehta said while bidding farewell to the High Court. .Justice Mehta had been serving as the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court before his elevation to the Supreme Court. In a farewell function organised on Thursday at the High Court, Justice Mehta said that the existing infrastructure of the Gauhati High Court lacked adequate chambers and other necessary spaces.."When I looked at the building of this magnificent institution, I noticed advocates did not have adequate chambers and sat in congested halls ... There is no dedicated space for holding any kind of event. It is very disheartening that the car park has to be used for even a cup of tea with the Bar. The Gauhati High Court deserves much better infrastructure for a dedicated women's bar room, creches, sufficiently spacious court rooms and judges chambers etc. With the limited space available, those facilities cannot be constructed here," he stated..He added that these were the concerns that he had in mind as the Chief Justice when new sites were explored for the Court complex. "No sooner had we proceeded to work on this idea (of a new complex in North Guwahati), there was a semblance of opposition from certain sections of the Bar, which to my mind was totally misconceived. It is my appeal to young members of the Guwahati Bar that you are all dynamic and need precise space to work. I assure my friends that when the judicial township comes, chambers will too," he said. .The Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) had in June held a sit-in protest opposing the Assam government's proposal to shift the High Court and other courts in and around Guwahati to a single site on the northern bank of the Brahmputra.The association also addressed a memorandum to the President of India, the Chief Justice of India, the Union Law Minister, and the Assam Chief Minister opposing the proposed shift of the High Court and the city's sessions court to a 'judicial city' in North Guwahati's Rangmahal area.Presently, the distance between the two sites is roughly 25 km, which is well over an hour's commute, taking into account the traffic conditions. However, a new bridge is being constructed, which is expected to reduce the travel time by half.Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had first announced a draft plan about this move on April 14 this year. The current High Court building has been in use since 1951. A new annex was inaugurated in 2013. The magisterial courts are within 500 metres of the building..In his speech, Justice Mehta also remarked that patience was not among his virtues before he was made the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, where the erudite arguments of counsel taught him to avoid his haste. "One trait I tried to maintain was not to allow unnecessary adjournments and repetitions in arguments, which takes time and delays dispensation of justice," he added..He went on to praise the High Court bar for the strong presence of competent lady advocates who rival, if not beat, their male counterparts. "I commend the highly efficient Nari Shakti (female empowerment) in the Bar. This is in sync with sentiments expressed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud," he said..Guwahati has good lawyers; why engage advocates from Kolkata, Delhi? Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta .However, Justice Metha advised the Bar to incorporate assertiveness in their arguments rather than remain over-submissive."I must address one issue which I found lacking in the advocates before me. The submissiveness in the presentations was too much. Dear friends, I would say that sometimes a lawyer has to be assertive without being aggressive for presenting the case of his client," he said.He praised Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia in this regard and asked the Bar to imbibe his qualities. Justice Mehta also acknowledged the contributions of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in helping with the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the High Court.