Barak Valley Submits A 112 Page Fresh Plea For Permanent HC Bench In Silchar.

Silchar; May 2026: The demand for a permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court in Barak Valley gained fresh momentum after the High Court Bench Demand Implementation Committee, Cachar district unit, submitted a 112-page memorandum to the Chief Justice seeking urgent reconsideration of the issue. The Committee has urged the Learned Chief Justice to reconsider previous views amid growing pressure for decentralised judicial access in southern Assam.

Submitted as a continuation of an earlier representation dated January 12, 2026, the memorandum was signed by senior advocate Dharmananda Deb on behalf of the committee. The document lays out the geographical, infrastructural and financial hardships faced by litigants from Barak Valley and Dima Hasao in accessing judicial services in Guwahati.

While speaking with the media reporters, advocate Dharmananda Deb said litigants from the southern Assam region are often forced to travel nearly 350 to 400 kilometres to attend proceedings at the Gauhati High Court and coordinate with lawyers handling their cases, creating severe financial strain, particularly for economically weaker sections and rural residents.

The memorandum further highlights recurring floods, landslides and fragile transport and communication networks in the region, which frequently disrupt travel and delay judicial proceedings. Invoking Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, the representation argues that accessible and effective justice is integral to the fundamental rights to equality and personal liberty.

It also cites several Supreme Court judgments to contend that decentralisation of judicial infrastructure is essential for ensuring substantive constitutional justice. The committee pointed out that the Assam government has already sought the Gauhati High Court’s opinion on the matter, indicating that the issue remains under active administrative and judicial consideration.

The memorandum also revisits earlier parliamentary references supporting the demand, including discussions in the Lok Sabha in 2012 and a Rajya Sabha intervention in 1991 by former Union Law Minister Subramanian Swamy. According to the representation, the combined population of Cachar, Sribhumi, Hailakandi and Dima Hasao exceeds 4.7 million.

It further states that more than 600 pending cases, along with over 4,000 cases originating from Barak Valley, were pending between January and March this year, strengthening the case for decentralised judicial access in southern Assam. Through the memorandum, the committee has also appealed to the Chief Justice to reconsider previous views on the issue and facilitate the establishment of a permanent Bench in Silchar.

Drawing comparisons with the establishment of a permanent Bench of the Calcutta High Court at Jalpaiguri, the memorandum argues that Barak Valley possesses equally compelling, if not stronger, demographic, administrative and logistical grounds for setting up a permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court in Silchar.

Team Maverick.