Judge Takes Issue With Maharashtra Government’s Delay in Land Allotment for New Court Building

The Maharashtra government was chastised by the Bombay High Court on Monday for its delay in allocating land for the new court building in the Bandra district. The court pointed out that the current south Mumbai structure was in poor shape and that this put the lives of judicial personnel in danger.

A division bench made up of Justice Arif Doctor and Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya expressed dissatisfaction with the state administration for delaying action on the matter and said that they did not want to put themselves in a “unfavorable situation.”

The bench was considering a petition filed by attorney Ahmed Abdi, who claimed that the government had disregarded the high court’s 2018 ruling over the allocation of land for the courthouse.

The government told the bench last year that 30 acres of land for a new high court building in Bandra had been approved, and that the process of making the required adjustments in the state revenue records was underway before ownership was transferred.

On Monday, Abhay Patki, an additional government pleader, told the court that some of the existing houses in the proposed area are used as government personnel’s homes.

According to him, the government must first find a different place for those employees to stay.

The bench then inquired as to whether there was a strategy in place to have the whole property taken out.

It is well known that the Bombay High Court building is in poor condition. Both this structure and its extension are in poor condition. There, our officers are employed. Their lives are in danger. They operate in hazardous environments. There’s nowhere to stroll, nowhere to store things. “The stairs are badly maintained,” Chief Justice Upadhyaya said.

Then, the court questioned why the revenue records had not been updated up to that point.

“The land was not vacant when it was designated for the construction of the high court building, as the government was well aware.” Why did you do nothing for such a long time? What is the relocation plan? The bench asked.

Abdi informed the court that the government did not intend to grant the property for the court building and that it was purposefully prolonging the proceedings.

The judge ordered the government to submit an affidavit detailing the actions it has taken so far to turn over the undeveloped property for the new courthouse by March 28.

It is anticipated that the Bandra property would hold judges’ quarters, central tribunals, and lawyer chambers in addition to the high court structure.