Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Friday expressed strong concern over the deteriorating condition of the city’s historic Old High Court Building and ordered authorities to complete restoration work within six months while strictly following archaeological conservation norms.A division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode observed that no repair work was undertaken on the British-era structure for nearly a year despite its fragile state. The judges stressed that the building carries significant historical value and must be preserved with appropriate care. The court scheduled the next hearing in the matter for March 9.The directives came during the hearing of three PILs concerning the condition of the old High Court Building. At an earlier hearing, the bench had directed deputy registrar Ninad Ingle to inspect the structure and submit a detailed status report.The report submitted to the court stated that the building is currently in a dilapidated condition and warned that the structure could suffer further deterioration if immediate repairs are not carried out. Taking note of the findings, the bench remarked that the building served as a “seat of justice for a long time”, making its preservation essential.The bench directed authorities to undertake restoration in a scientific manner so that the heritage character of the structure remains intact. It also instructed the archaeological department to file a comprehensive affidavit detailing the procedure that will be followed to complete the restoration within six months.The affidavit, the bench said, must also specify potential challenges that could arise during the repair process and outline measures proposed to address those obstacles.To ensure continuous oversight of the restoration process, the bench directed that the matter be listed every Monday for monitoring the progress of the work.Mugdha Chandurkar appeared on behalf of the Central govt, while advocate Shreerang Bhandarkar represented the petitioners. Ashutosh Dharmadhikari assisted the court as amicus curiae.
