Silchar: Pradip Dutta Roy, a Silchar-based advocate has formally appealed for the establishment of a bench of the Gauhati High Court in Barak Valley, citing serious challenges faced by litigants in accessing justice.

Roy, a practicing advocate of the Gauhati High Court since 1996, submitted a representation to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, with copies sent to the Chief Secretary and Law Secretary of the Assam government.

In his petition, Roy highlighted that litigants from Barak Valley must travel nearly 350 kilometres to Guwahati to attend court proceedings. He said this results in high travel and accommodation costs, along with loss of valuable time.

He further pointed out that many clients prefer engaging advocates from Barak Valley, which often requires additional expenses for air travel of counsel. According to Roy, most litigants from the region come from economically weaker rural backgrounds and struggle to bear such costs.

The advocate also raised concerns about language barriers, noting that Bengali is the primary language in Barak Valley, while Assamese is more commonly used in Guwahati. This, he said, creates communication gaps between clients and legal representatives.

Roy added that a large number of cases from the region are civil matters requiring multiple hearings. Due to financial and logistical constraints, many litigants fail to attend repeated hearings, leading to dismissal of cases and denial of justice.

He stated that nearly 30 per cent of the cases before the Gauhati High Court originate from Barak Valley, while the court is already dealing with a heavy backlog.

Calling the demand “reasonable and justified,” Roy urged the Chief Justice to consider setting up a bench in Barak Valley, preferably in Silchar. He said such a move would ease the burden on the principal seat and improve access to justice for people in the region.

He also noted that civil society groups, including the High Court Bench Demand Committee in Cachar district, have been actively campaigning for the cause, with strong public support.

Roy expressed hope that necessary steps would be taken in coordination with the state government to establish the proposed bench.