Ahmedabad, Oct 6 The Bar Council of Gujarat (BCG) on Tuesday withdrew its call for an indefinite strike over the Gujarat Rent Bill after the state government assured that powers earlier vested with the judiciary would be restored to courts.
BCG chairman P D Patel said the assurance was given during a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi and government officials at Sanghavi's residence in Gandhinagar.
The government has also agreed to constitute a five-member committee comprising representatives of the BCG, City Civil Court and Small Causes Court to suggest amendments to the legislation, Patel said.
"The key demand regarding the powers assigned to revenue officers has been addressed as the government assured it will not implement the Bill in its present form," Patel told reporters after the meeting, adding that the government also made a "formal announcement" during the meeting that these powers would be restored to the judiciary.
The committee will suggest changes to the bill and the government will examine and incorporate the amendments, Patel said. The entire process is expected to be completed within 10 to 15 days, he added.
"So, the new bill which would be ultimately drafted will be a blend of the old as well as new provisions," Patel said.
The BCG had on Monday called for an indefinite strike after protests over the bill failed to resolve the concerns raised by lawyers. Several other lawyers' associations across Gujarat supported the call and abstained from court work on Monday and Tuesday.
Patel said the government's assurance fulfilled the "primary demand" of advocates and urged all bar associations to resume normal court work from Wednesday.
"Since this demand has been met, the Bar Council of Gujarat humbly requests all bar associations across Gujarat to resume normal court work from tomorrow," he said.
The Gujarat Rent Bill, which seeks to replace the existing rent law, had triggered strong opposition from lawyers over provisions relating to the powers of revenue authorities.
Responding to a question on whether the government had consulted the Bar before introducing the legislation, Patel said the government might have consulted its own legal experts.
He said the BCG was satisfied with the assurance given by the government and formally announced the winding up of the agitation.
"Accordingly, the Bar Council of Gujarat has withdrawn the call for agitation," Patel said.
Lawyers mainly opposed the bill over its provision to shift the authority to decide landlord-tenant disputes from civil courts and Small Cause Courts to administrative officials such as Deputy Collectors or Deputy Municipal Commissioners.
They have demanded that the existing law be retained.
The Gujarat assembly had on September 11 passed the Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026.
The bill seeks to replace the Gujarat Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947, and aims to balance the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants.
The lawyers, however, claimed that transferring rent dispute resolution from courts to administrative authorities would weaken judicial safeguards and create difficulties for litigants.
