On Monday, the Supreme Court was updated that the new Bombay High Court building will be constructed in Bandra as originally planned
The State will transfer 4.39 acres of land in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to the High Court by September 10 for this purpose [In Re: Heritage Building of the Bombay High Court and Allotment of Additional Lands for the High Court].
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala was also informed that the remaining 30.46 acres of land would be handed over to the High Court within a specified timeframe.
This decision follows a meeting held by the High Court with all stakeholders on July 9. The apex court’s order noted, “On July 8, there was an internal meeting headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court with the Judges Committee. On July 9, all stakeholders participated. We have been informed that by September 10, a contiguous area of 4.39 acres in BKC will be handed over to the High Court by the state government. The State has indicated a timeline to hand over the balance area measuring 30.46 acres to the High Court as well.”
The Supreme Court was addressing a suo motu case initiated from a letter petition by the President of the Bombay Bar Association, Nitin Thakker, and others. Initially, the High Court had suggested that the State consider constructing the new building in Goregaon instead of Bandra. In April, the Bombay High Court asked the Maharashtra government to explore land availability in Goregaon for the new complex and provide a rough sketch of accessibility from the proposed coastal road, despite significant progress toward shifting the new building to Bandra.
The Supreme Court then took up the suo motu case. In May, it directed the Maharashtra government to release the first tranche of land required for constructing the new High Court building and emphasized that the State need not wait until December 2024 to hand over the entire 9.64 acres of land earmarked for the project. During the May 7 hearing, the Court deemed Goregaon an inconvenient location for the new complex and ordered expedited action toward relocating the current complex to Bandra.
Following the Supreme Court’s directives, the High Court committee and the State held a meeting and proposed proceeding with the Bandra plan. The State has suggested eight architects who will have the opportunity to present their designs for the building, after which expressions of interest will be called for.
The Supreme Court’s order also noted that the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has vacated the premises leased from the Bank of India to the state. “The documents of MPSC will be removed by the end of July. The MPSC premises will be handed over immediately, and suitable repair work will be done to facilitate occupation by the High Court. A leave and license agreement has been executed between MTNL and the High Court,” the Court stated.
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