Supreme Court Directs Maharashtra Government to Expedite New Bombay High Court Building Construction
The Supreme Court has instructed the Maharashtra government to release the initial portion of land required for constructing the new Bombay High Court building, without waiting until December 2024 to provide the entire 9.64 acres earmarked for the project. This directive came during a hearing on a suo motu case prompted by a letter petition from the President of the Bombay Bar Association, Nitin Thakker, and others.
During a previous hearing, the Court had expressed concerns about the proposed location in Goregaon and urged expedited action to relocate the current complex to Bandra. Despite previous efforts to shift the new High Court building to Bandra, the Court revisited the issue due to ongoing challenges.
The Court also discussed the need for a temporary alternative site and considered utilizing vacant floors in the Air India building or space in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). It recommended handing over vacant buildings not owned by the government to the Public Works Department for necessary demolition and construction.
Further, the Court deliberated on the selection of architects for the new High Court building, suggesting a competition or selecting from a pool of top architects, with input from the bar and bench.
Acknowledging steps taken towards a structural audit of the existing High Court premises and securing alternate premises, the Court urged expediting the appointment of architects and directed the Maharashtra government to commence construction promptly.
Efforts to establish an arbitration complex at BKC were also discussed, along with exploratory steps to utilize the Air India building.
The Court scheduled further hearings for July 15 to monitor progress on these matters.
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