The Bombay High Court came down heavily on the state on Monday for not releasing enough funds for the Mazgaon Court building. The budget for the building is Rs 387 crore, but the Assembly released Rs 29 crore for it. The bench of justices SC Dharmadhikari and GS Kulkarni observed, “Ministers renew their bungalows at breakneck speeds, no secretary (IAS) wants to occupy an office unless it’s high-tech. It’s abdication of duty on the part of the state to not release funds for renovation of courts.”

The Bombay High Court is hearing a petition filed by the Mazgaon Bar Association, demanding early release of funds to build the Mazgaon court that was vacated by the state in July 2013. The court, which could hear around 2,500 cases annually, was closed and shifted to Sewri.