DBASILCHAR

The District Bar Association, Silchar came into existence in the year 1874 when Districts of Assam including Cachar were formed into the Chief Commissionership of Assam. The members with whom the Association started were Shri Ram Gobinda Deb and Shri Sambhunath Sen. At that time, the Deputy Commissioner used to grant pleadership “SANAD” after formal test of respectability and ability. Later on when the first Munsiff was established at Silchar, Shri Ram Gobinda Deb, Pleader was appointed Extra-Assistant Commissioner with the powers of the Munsiff.

Membership of District Bar Association, Silchar gradually grew and before long, it attracted Law Graduates from Cachar and neighboring District of Sylhet and by the year 1900 there were 11(Eleven) members of the Association including Raibahadur Hari Charan Das, B.L, Govt.Pleader, Shri Abantinath Dutta, B.L, Shri Kamini Kumar Chanda, M.A, B.L, Shri Mahesh Chandra Dutta, Shri Kali Mohan Deb, B.L and others. Before Raibahadur Hari Charan Das, Shri Chandra Nath Nandi was the first Government Pleader at Silchar and he was the first Lawyer of the District having the SANAD to practice. Kamini Kumar Chanda was the first President of the Association and he died on 02.02.1936. Rashid Ali Laskar was the first Muslim B.L. of pre-partition Cachar i.e. in the year 1914.

This Association had no Law Books of its own before the year1908, when at the suggestion and helps of Rai Bahadur Janaki Nath Das Purkaystha the then Sadar Munsiff at Silchar, a Library was started and he was kind enough to allow an almirah of the Association to be kept within court room which was a Katcha one. Now the District Bar Library has an up-to-date collection of Books which include annotated statutes by standard authors, important Law Reports, Law Journals and full set of Halsbury’s Laws of England. Besides, the Association subscribes All India Reporter, Supreme Court Cases, Gauhati Law Reporter, Criminal Law Journal, Labour law Journal, Consumer Law Journals, North East Region Local Act and Rules, Current Central Legislation, and Assam Gazette etc.etc. The supervision of the library shall be placed in hands of a Sub-Committee called the Library Sub-Committee which consists of five members. The Suggestions and recommendations of the Library Sub-Committee for the preservation, improvement and efficient management of the library shall be considered and implemented by the Executive committee. There are sixteen numbers of employees/Staffs of the Association for smooth running of the affairs of the Association.

The Association started with two members in 1874 and had about twenty nine members at the time of partition of India which includes good number of displaced lawyers, mainly from Sylhet. Afterwards enriched by inclusion of good and reputed Lawyers from the adjoining Sylhet Bar. Most of them are now passed away but their legacy is maintaining by the members of the Bar .The name of the some of the eminent Lawyers are Late Kumud Bihari Dutta, Late Brojendra Kumar Bhattacharjee, Late Athindra Kumar Deb, Late Kumud Bandhu Dey, Late Satyendra Kumar Home Choudhury, Late Biresh Ranjan Acharyya etc. Presently the membership of the Association has gone up to 556 members. In order to accommodate the large number of members, the Association had constructed two storied RCC Building and now undertaken to construct second floor of the said building and the work is in full swing. One unique phenomenon of this Bar was that since its inception the functioning of the Association was regulated by unwritten constitution following the precedents and practice and there were no difficulties. But when the membership increased various complications arose for which and to regulate the workings of the Association and to cater with such demands the Constitution of the District Bar Association was adopted which came into force on and from the 1st day of January, 2009. The Constitution adopted is still at its nascent stage which may be required to be amended from time to time to make the constitution more effective.

The District Bar Association, Silchar had always been sphere reading the causes of the general public and in doing so it has given leadership to various movements including Language movement and other important movements and also joined in all Social, Cultural and overall development of the Society.

The Court of the District Judge has a rich Library as well as old treatise at present these books are accommodated in a separate Library. On 7th September, 1955 separate independent judgeship was established at Cachar under Govt. Notification No. LJJ.135/55/23 and LJJ.135/55/24, dated 20th August, 1955 and Shri. S. K. Dutta (B.A [Calcutta], B.Sc[ London ], Barrister at Law) became the first District & Sessions Judge of Cachar District Judiciary and since then more than twenty five District Judges had adorned this exalted seat and the present incumbent is Shri Bishnu Debnath.

This District Bar has the proud privilege of is due representation in the Assam Judiciary and few of them, the members of this Bar namely Late Samarjeet Singha, Late Sukriti Charan Dutta, Late Sudish Kumar Senapati, Late Abdul Jalil Mazumdar, Anowar Uddin Barlaskar,Late Hrishikesh Goswami, Late Prasun Kumar Deb,Shri Manik Lal Chatterjee, Late Mahi Uddin laskar,Shri K.S.Nath, Shri Kamalendu Choudhury,Anup Narayan Ghosh,Samarjeet Dey,Shri Bishnu Debnath, Md.Abu Saleh Badrudduja Laskar, Smti Shabnam Choudhary, Shri Ratnadeep Bhattacharjee,Shri Subhabrata Dutta and others have made this Bar Association proud.

This District Bar Association has a reputation in its own and has created a place for itself amongst the legal fraternity and has been able to produce many Illustrious Lawyers who have made this Bar Association proud and illuminated the legacy of the Assam Judiciary and their legacy is now being borne by the members who are also competent and capable and is contributing to the Administration of Justice and helping the Judiciary in just adjudication of the cases in keeping up with the dignity, sincerity & Honour which is the motto of the Bar.