Sakina Tashrifwala
Published on: September 13, 2022 at 20:02 IST
The Gauhati High Court’s Museum was opened on Saturday in conjunction with the Bar Council of Assam, Arunachal, Nagaland, and Mizoram’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration. The museum’s goal is to conserve and display historical judicial papers and artefacts.
Judges from the Supreme Court of India, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, as well as the Union Minister for Law and Justice, Mr. Kiren Rijiju and Mr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Minister of Assam, were present at the occasion.
The effort to establish the museum began in 2014, when Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, then Chief Justice of the High Court (later a Judge of the Supreme Court), appointed Justice Arup Kumar Goswami, then a Judge of the Gauhati High Court (currently the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court), and Justice M.R. Pathakt to serve on a two-member committee to oversee and supervise the museum’s construction.
The Assam Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on September 9, 1947, to create a High Court in Assam, which is when the High Court’s history began.
As a result, on 1 March 1948, the Governor General issued the Assam High Court Order, 1948, which led to the establishment of the Assam High Court on 5 April 1948.
The highest court in the State was established by Harilal J. Kania, who was India’s Chief Justice at the time. The first Chief Justice of the Court was Sir R.F. Lodge.
In its early years, the Court used to have sessions in Shillong. It soon relocated to Guwahati, though.
Following the North-Eastern Area (Re-organization) Act of 1971, which brought five north-eastern states—Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura—as well as two Union Territories—Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh—under its jurisdiction, the Assam High Court was renamed the Gauhati High Court.
The States of Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura later had their own High Courts, and at the present time, the High Court has its main office in Guwahati and three permanent benches located in Itangar, Kohima, and Aizawl, respectively.