Won’t allow temporary shifting of heritage building: Lawyers’ Association, Guwahati (LAG)

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Lawyers’ Association, Guwahati (LAG), opposed the proposed plan of the State Government to relocate the building that houses the LAG office on the riverside. The proposed relocation plan is meant for the beautification of the riverfront.

The LAG has been opposing the relocation of the CJM (Chief Judicial Magistrate) Court to its present temporary location all over.

Speaking to the media, LAG president Advocate Pradip Konwar said, “The Lawyers’ Association, Guwahati, was constituted in 1885 under the aegis of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, former President of India Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Bishnuram Medhi, Tarunran Phukan, and others. Even though no official order has been issued to this effect, it has come to our knowledge that two judges of the Gauhati High Court and the CJM had a discussion on December 20, 2025, on the shifting of this heritage building somewhere else to make space for the riverfront beautification project. Under any circumstances, we won’t let the government dismantle this heritage building. We’re not opposed to the shifting of this building to a suitable place permanently. However, we won’t allow its shifting to a temporary location.”

Advocate Konwar further said that the LAG also decided not to attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Gauhati High Court at Rongmahal slated for January 11, 2025. “We demand the government spell out clearly if Rongmahal will be the site for only the Gauhati High Court or if it will also accommodate the district courts there. The government needs to publish a white paper on this matter, besides the DPR (detailed project report),” he said.

The LAG staged a hunger strike in front of their office from 9 am to 2 pm today against the proposed shifting of their office building. They will stage such a fast on January 6, 2026, from 9 am to 4 pm.

LAG secretary Apurba Kumar Sarma demanded the government constitute a fast-track court for daily hearing of the Zubeen Garg murder case. “We’ve also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister requesting him to constitute a committee to monitor the development of the Zubeen Garg murder case. We’ll also form a dedicated team of lawyers from our end to check any procedural lapses in the hearing of the case,” he said.

Advocate Sarma further said that the government should take appropriate measures to ensure that incidents like that of Kheroni in the Karbi Anglong district do not repeat in the future.

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