The Gujarat High Court on Monday (October 5) witnessed absence of lawyers in court rooms after the Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association resolved to abstain from work.

The Bar Council of Gujarat last week called for boycott of judicial proceedings in all the courts across the State by lawyers and bar associations from today onwards to protest the Gujarat Rent Bill 2026, Times of India reported.

The Bill, passed by the Gujarat Assembly last month, replaces the Gujarat Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act 1947, and seeks to balance the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. The Bill seeks to introduce dispute resolution mechanism comprising of the Rent Authority, Rent Court and Rent Tribunal.

The Bar Council has claimed that the power to resolve disputes have been taken away from the judicial authority and given to the administrative authority.