Preface
On the occasion of completion of the Gauhati High court's 75th year since its inception, a trip  taken down memory lane  evokes vivid recollections of the geographically diverse and ethnically heterogeneous North East and its indigenous people who were governed  by rudimentary but efficacious customary practices; the role of the constitutional framework in formulation, promulgation and enforcement of laws to adjudicate on matters impartially and  independently  in a country having diverse cultures,  languages and religions; the landmark judgments pronounced by the Hon'ble Judges of our country and in particular, by the Hon'ble Judges of the Gauhati High Court over the years because of which effective and revolutionary changes in the justice delivery system were effectuated to meet the dynamics of the changing times;  the moments of crisis; the introduction and adoption of modern technology to ensure judicial transparency and the overall growth and development of the Gauhati High Court as a premier institution in the legal spectrum, among the events and occurrences documenting the past as well the present.
On the 5th of April, 1948, the High Court of Assam, later renamed the Gauhati High Court, came into being and it was the outcome of the resolution adopted by the Assam Legislative Assembly on the  9th of September, 1947. The seat of the High Court of Assam was initially at Shillong but later shifted to the Old Commissioner’s Building at Gauhati on the 14th of August, 1948. The foundation stone of the High Court building was laid on the 21st of February, 1954 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Hon’ble President of India, thus heralding an era in which the legal fraternity was faced with the arduous yet fascinating task of interpreting not only the enacted laws but also the existing tribal laws and customs and the customary practices.
	The principal seat of the Gauhati High Court which earlier had six outlying benches, namely Kohima Bench, Imphal Bench, Agartala Bench, Shillong Bench, Aizawl Bench and Itanagar Bench, now has three outlying benches, namely Nagaland Bench, Mizoram Bench and Arunachal Pradesh Bench because of the constitution of three new High Courts in Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur.
	The Gauhati High Court has time and again brought succor to the masses, particularly in periods of crisis. The Gauhati High Court has always upheld human rights and ensured fair trials and access to justice for laymen.  The verdicts pronounced in The Gauhati High Court over the years bear testimony to the fact that this august institution is the ever zealous sentinel of law and stringent in ensuring Indian citizens that irrespective of castes, creeds or social status, the rule of law shall prevail. In this regard, the case “The State of Assam vs Upendra Nath Rajkhowa” can be cited in which the Gauhati High Court upheld the death sentence imposed on Upendra Nath Rajkhowa, a retired District Judge. The Gauhati High Court has always defended human rights. During the declaration of Emergency in India in 1973, the Gauhati High Court asserted that the writ of habeas corpus was maintainable and that if citizens felt that they had grievances, they had rights to approach the High Court for redressal.
	While deliberating on the current judicial landscape, we must take note of an event that shook the entire judicial system in India and brought about abrupt changes in the pattern of the functioning of the courts, i.e. the outbreak of Coronavirus. Since this pandemic necessitated a nationwide lockdown in India, physical conduct of the courts' proceedings was no longer feasible.  At the onset of such a crisis, the concept of Virtual Court in  various courts of India as well as in the Gauhati High Court was introduced, which revolutionized the whole process of holding judicial trials.
   	Adoption and implementation of modern technologies and facilities such as installation of KIOSK machines in the premises of the Gauhati High Court, live streaming of the court proceedings and introduction of e-court services are major steps towards achieving accountability in the judicial system, increasing the faith of the masses in the judiciary and enhancing judicial transparency. 

In an initiative to preserve and exhibit historical judicial documents and artefacts, hand down the rich legacy and heritage of the Gauhati High court to the younger generations and memorialise the significant stages of the courts' functioning over the years, a museum at the principal seat of the Gauhati High Court at Guwahati was inaugurated on 10.09.2022. The museum contains an archive where the records of judgments of important cases and paraphernalia of the court are displayed. Robes, wooden gavels used by Judges during the hearing of cases, furniture, pens, pen-stands, typewriters etc. are also on display in the museum.

Taking cognizance of the fact that the overhaul of judicial infrastructure is explicitly related to productivity in the delivery of justice and essential for scaling down the pendency of cases, an additional building for the principal seat of Gauhati High Court at Guwahati was constructed and on 17th August, 2013, the then Chief Justice of India Justice P. Sathasivam inaugurated the additional building of the Gauhati High Court in the presence of Tarun Gogoi, the then Chief Minister of Assam and other dignitaries of the judicial fraternity of the country. As a continuation of this infrastructural overhaul and for ease of communication between the old building of Gauhati High Court and the new building of Gauhati High Court, a waterproof tunnel having escalators was constructed to connect both the buildings and on 12th March, 2019, the same was inaugurated.

    	This is the moment to muse on and celebrate the unceasing and collaborative endeavour of the legal luminaries, the Hon'ble judges, the learned advocates, the staff members and the members of the legal fraternity in shaping and moulding the Gauhati High Court as a premier institution of the country.  This is the moment to realise and comprehend that in order to live up to the promise made on the birth of independent India that whatever be the caste, creed or social status, all will be equally treated as the children of India with equal rights, privileges and obligations and that for the materialization of this vision, we have to pledge allegiance to your country,  take an oath to serve humanity, work with integrity, act on the invaluable advice of our predecessors and untiringly work for social reformation.
Our endeavour to attain culmination will continue and we firmly believe that this celebration of the glorious past of this august institution will fill our hearts with pride, zeal and patriotism; promote the importance of preserving the legacy and heritage to inspire the younger generations; foster a sense of community among the members of the legal fraternity and inspire us to strive for excellence. 

	 

Give me 20 MCQs and answers, 20 short questions and answers and 3 long questions and answers based on the preface