The Bar Council of Gujarat on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, announced that a statewide lawyers' strike over the Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026 has been deferred after the state government assured the legal fraternity that a controversial provision — which sought to transfer rent dispute adjudication from the judiciary to executive authorities — would be withdrawn. Lawyers across Gujarat are set to resume court proceedings from Wednesday.

Key Developments from Tuesday's Meeting

The breakthrough came after a meeting lasting more than an hour between representatives of the Bar Council of Gujarat, the Ahmedabad Bar Association, and the Ahmedabad Small Causes Court Bar Association on one side, and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, Chief Government Pleader Gurucharan Shirk, Law Department Secretary U.M. Bhatt, and the Revenue and Home secretaries on the other.

The government proposed forming a joint committee comprising representatives from all three bar bodies. The committee is to be constituted on Wednesday and will deliberate on the bill's provisions alongside the Law Secretary.

What the Government Assured

'The government assured that the amendment under which powers were proposed to be taken from the judiciary and given to the executive would be withdrawn and that the powers would remain with the court and the judiciary,' the Bar Council of Gujarat said in a statement.

The committee will examine the shortcomings in the Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026 and submit representations to the government for necessary amendments. The government, in turn, has committed to considering these representations and taking steps to resolve the outstanding concerns.

What the Disputed Bill Proposes

The Gujarat Assembly passed the Gujarat Rent Bill, 2026, in September. The legislation, as drafted, provides for a Rent Authority headed by an officer not below the rank of Deputy Collector or Assistant Municipal Commissioner. Rent Courts, under the framework, would be headed by officers not below the rank of Additional Collector or Deputy Municipal Commissioner.

Appeals would be heard by Rent Tribunals headed by District Judges or Additional District Judges. The bill also mandates written rental agreements and caps security deposits at three months' rent.

Lawyers' core objection centred on the proposed role of executive authorities in adjudicating rent disputes — a function traditionally vested in judicial forums. The Bar Council had argued the shift would place tenancy matters before an already overburdened bureaucracy, effectively bypassing the courts.

Scope of the Lawyers' Agitation

The Bar Council of Gujarat had declared an indefinite statewide abstention from court proceedings on 5 October, bringing proceedings to a halt across the state. The Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association separately announced a two-day boycott of court work on 5 and 6 October in solidarity with the agitation.

Notably, Tuesday's meeting also touched on the proposed Advocate Protection Act and grievances of notaries concerning the issuance of tickets — indicating that the legal community's concerns with the government extend beyond the Rent Bill alone.

What Happens Next

With the joint committee to be formally constituted on Wednesday, the immediate crisis has been defused. However, the bill's final shape will depend on whether the government follows through on its assurance to strip out the executive adjudication clause and acts on the committee's recommendations. The legal community will be watching closely for whether the revised draft addresses their structural concerns before the legislation is notified.