Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Assam government told the Gauhati High Court that it said it would collect necessary information and guidelines for the preservation, protection, regulation, welfare of artistes and international recognition of Mobile Theatre, a heritage and unique cultural tradition of Assam.
The government gave this assurance today when a division bench of the Gauhati High Court heard a PIL (60/2026) filed by Sandeep Chamaria. The PIL seeks the court’s intervention to take necessary measures to preserve and develop mobile theatre not only as a medium of entertainment but also as a living cultural institution of the language, literature, arts, culture, traditions and rural communities of Assam. The court took the matter seriously and set November 25, 2026, for the next hearing. Petitioner Chamaria said that the government is expected to file an appropriate reply before the court on the issues raised in the PIL on the next date of the hearing.
The PIL specifically demands proper implementation of ‘The Assam Mobile Theatre (Regulation and Artists’ Welfare Fund) Act, 2010’, a well-organised regulatory system for mobile theatres, and formulation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for welfare, security and administrative control of artistes and workers. There is a demand for a separate state policy for future development of mobile theatre and people working in them. The PIL also raises the issue of the government taking steps to prepare the necessary documents and send proposals through the relevant authorities for the recognition of Assam’s theatre as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
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