The Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association has abstained from work on October 5 and 6 over the Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026, which lawyers say takes rent disputes out of the courts. The Advocate General told the High Court that the Bar had been given an assurance that the Governor will not sign the Bill.
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Ahmedabad: Lawyers of the Gujarat High Court abstained from work on Monday in protest against the Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026, even as the Advocate General told the Court that an assurance had been given that the Bill would not receive the Governor’s assent [Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026: Lawyers’ Strike].
The strike was called by the Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association (GHCAA) for two days, October 5 and 6, 2026. The matter was mentioned before a Bench of Justice Maulik J. Shelat, when Advocate General Kamal Trivedi appeared in a matter listed before the Court.
The lawyers’ objection
According to the report, the association’s objection is that the Bill transfers the adjudication of rent disputes from courts to administrative authorities, which, it contends, takes away judicial power over such disputes. These are the Bar’s contentions; the provisions of the Bill have not been set out in the report on which this article is based.
What the Advocate General said
The Advocate General informed the Court that a meeting had been held the previous day with members of the Bar Council of Gujarat, in which, according to him, an assurance was given about the fate of the Bill:
“Yesterday we had a meeting with all the Bar Council of Gujarat members…we were given a promise that this Bill will not be signed by the Hon’ble Governor.”
The Advocate General said he had also contacted the GHCAA president that morning and requested that the strike be called off, adding that the Bill would “die in embryo”. The Deputy Chief Minister is reported to have given the assurance to the Bar Council, and the original rent law is reported to be restored; the Governor has not yet signed the Bill, and the assurance is yet to be reflected in any official step.
Rent Bill Strike: The Court’s response
The Bench of Justice Shelat acknowledged that if there were any developments overnight, they should be communicated to the Court, and observed that the sentiments of everyone should be respected.
Details: Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026 | Strike by Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association on October 5 and 6, 2026 | Before: Justice Maulik J. Shelat, Gujarat High Court
Appearance: Advocate General Kamal Trivedi appeared for the State of Gujarat.