New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to expedite the process of handing over the remaining 10 acres of land for the construction of the new Bombay High Court building complex at Bandra in Mumbai.
The state government had to allocate a total of 30.16 acres of land at Bandra-Kurla complex in the city in a phased manner.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was informed that 20.15 acres of land had already been handed over to the high court administration and the state proposes to hand over the remaining land in two tranches by December 31, 2026.
The state government said 5.27 acres of land would be handed over by July 31, while the remaining 4.74 acres of land would be given by year-end.
To this, the CJI said, “The entire project will come to a standstill… Why are you taking so much time?”
The bench then asked the state to expedite the handing over of the remaining land and said that an endeavour should be made to do it at the earliest.
It listed the suo motu case for hearing in the first week of August.
It also asked the high court steering committee, overseeing the building project, to hear the registered bar bodies, including the Bombay Bar Association led by Nitin Thakker.
The top court was hearing the case titled “In Re: Heritage Building of the Bombay High Court and allotment of additional lands for the High Court”. It had taken note of an April 29, 2024, letter petition of Bombay Bar Association president Nitin Thakker and other bar leaders with respect to the urgent need for accommodation for the High Court of Judicature in Bombay, whose existing building is 150 years old.
On Monday, the bench at the outset asked whether the issue still survives.
The counsel appearing for the Maharashtra government replied in the affirmative, noting that around 10 acres of land is to be handed over.
“By December 31, 2026, all the remaining land would be handed over,” the counsel said.
On July 21 last year, the state government told the top court that of the 17.45 acres of land meant for the construction of the new complex, it had taken possession of 15.33 acres.
In January last year, the state informed the apex court that the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the building was conducted on September 23, 2024.
In October 2024, the state government said the possession of the total 30.16 acres of land would be handed over to the high court in a phased manner.
The Bombay High Court, founded on August 16, 1862, has been located in a building near Flora Fountain since November 1878.
Keeping in mind the safety concerns and the need for more space, a new high court complex was proposed to be built in Bandra.
The new high court complex would have well-designed and spacious courtrooms, chambers for judges and registry personnel, an arbitration and mediation centre, an auditorium, a library and a host of features and amenities for staff, lawyers and litigants.
The Bombay High Court exercises jurisdiction over Maharashtra through the principal seat in Mumbai and benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa.
It also exercises jurisdiction over the Union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
The high court has a sanctioned strength of 94 judges.
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