Gurgaon: Punjab and Haryana High Court’s building committee has recommended that the Haryana govt allot around five acres adjoining the upcoming Tower of Justice for lawyers’ chambers, calling it the only practical option and warning that locating lawyers away from the court complex would hurt judicial functioning.The recommendation came at a meeting held by circulation on July 7 and has been forwarded to the state administration’s justice department for action. The judicial complex itself is scheduled to be inaugurated by Chief Justice of India on Sunday.The committee found the proposed parcel contiguous to the new complex after its chair, justice Harsimran Singh Sethi, inspected the site and deemed it suitable. While the land had been earmarked for a botanical garden, the committee noted that facility could be developed elsewhere — whereas no alternative site exists near the court complex for advocates’ chambers. “Shifting lawyers to a distant location would be impractical and could hamper the smooth functioning of courts,” it said.The move follows a representation from the Gurgaon district bar association, which sought permanent chambers and interim seating after a fire on May 24 rendered three lawyers’ halls unusable, leaving an estimated 700 to 1,000 advocates without adequate workspace. The association said the district has more than 11,000 practising advocates, and that the infrastructure shortage affects both lawyers and litigants. It has also urged authorities to reserve space within or adjoining the judicial complex for bar rooms, lawyers’ halls and other essential facilities before the Tower of Justice becomes operational. The Haryana govt has yet to take a final decision on the committee’s recommendation.
