Gurupada Bhowmick, a senior advocate of the Gauhati High Court, was born on December 4, 1942, in Tinsukia. He received his early education in Tinsukia and passed the Matriculation Examination in 1962 from Bongiya Vidyalaya, Tinsukia. He later joined Kanoi College, Dibrugarh, and passed the ISC examination there. He obtained his B.Sc. degree from Cotton College and his M.Sc. and LL.B. degrees from Gauhati University.
From his student days, he was closely associated with the Tinsukia unit of the RSS and was deeply committed to its ideals. At the direction of the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, he travelled to various parts of Assam to establish RSS organisations in many remote areas of the state.
After completing his LL.B., he enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh in 1970. He was a founding member of the Tinsukia Bar Association, where he joined on December 2, 1987. He subsequently enrolled as a member of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association and began practising independently in both civil and criminal law. The Gauhati High Court designated him as a Senior Advocate on August 4, 2014.
Bhowmick was closely associated with legal aid services aimed at helping the poor and underprivileged. He had a heart of gold and extended assistance to the have-nots without any discrimination on the basis of religion. Soft-spoken by nature, he never hesitated to raise his voice whenever he witnessed injustice against anyone. Various socio-cultural organisations in Assam felicitated him in recognition of his sacrifices and his commitment to the lofty ideals of the RSS.
During the Emergency, he was detained under the Defence of India Rules (DIR). After a prolonged period of detention and a legal battle, his detention order was set aside. During the BJP government’s tenure, he was offered a lucrative post in the legal department of the Government of Assam, but he humbly declined the offer.
Late Bhowmick was friendly with everyone at the Bar, particularly members of the younger generation. He extended all possible assistance to junior lawyers who approached him for guidance on legal matters.
He had been ailing for the past several months and was unable to attend court. He passed away suddenly on October 14, 2026, due to heart failure. Following the death of his only daughter, who was highly talented, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bhowmick was often seen in a pensive mood.
The Gauhati High Court Bar Association has lost an honest, sincere, patriotic and dedicated member. His demise is a great loss not only to the Association but also to the legal fraternity at large. The void created by his passing will be difficult to fill, and the Association will always remember him with the utmost respect.
He was 83 and is survived by his wife. His death was widely condoled.
– Subhash Chandra Biswas