Maharashtra govt tells SC next tranche of land for new HC building will be handed over by Dec

On Thursday the Maharashtra government informed the Supreme Court that the next tranche of land for the Bombay High Courts new building complex in Mumbais Bandra neighbourhood will be handed over by DecemberThe state government also notified a special bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud Justices B R Gavai and JB Pardiwala that it has yet to obtain control of the Air India building in south Mumbai where the Bombay High Courts mediation centre is scheduled to be relocated reported PTIAccording to the report the state administration stated that custody of 3016 acres of land will be transferred to the high court in stages with the first tranche of 439 acres already handed overThe state governments Advocate General Birendra Saraf informed the court that the next tranche of land would be accessible by DecemberThe law officer further stated that a judges committee led by the chief justice of the Bombay High Court has scheduled the next meeting with state officials for November 1213 to address issuesHe stated that expressions of interest have been received for the building project and that a project meeting consultant is being selectedThe law officer further stated that a judges committee led by the HC chief justice has scheduled the next meeting with state officials for November 1213 to address the issuesOn repairs to the PWD building he stated that a structural audit was requiredThe bench took note of his submissions directed the state administration to file a new status report and scheduled the hearing for the first week of January next yearThe bench was hearing a suo motu on its own matter called Heritage Building of the Bombay High Court and grant of extra lands for the High CourtThe Bombay High Court established on August 16 1862 is now housed in a stately structure opposite Flora Fountain Hutatma Chowk which it has occupied since November 1878A new high court complex is proposed in Bandra taking into account safety considerations as well as the need for greater roomOn September 25 the top court directed the state chief secretary to convene a meeting with the chief justice of the high court and other judges to decide on the redevelopment of a PWD and annexe buildings adjacent to the current iconic high court building in Mumbai in order to relocate some courtrooms and other facilitiesIt had said till the time the new high court building comes up at Bandra some of the facilities needed to be shifted to a PWD building adjacent to the present high court premisesThe bench was of the view that the annexe building of the high court where some of the courts and other facilities are still there needed urgent repairs as wellThe top court had also asked the state government to explore providing some space to the high court to set up its arbitration and mediation centre in the Air India buildingThe CJI on September 23 laid the foundation stone of the Bombay High Courtrsquos new complexThe groundbreaking ceremony of the new high court building was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar senior Supreme Court judges and the HC Chief JusticeThe new HC complex will have welldesigned and spacious court rooms chambers for judges and registry personnel an arbitration and mediation centre an auditorium library and a host of features and amenities for staff lawyers and litigantsThe Bombay High Court exercises jurisdiction over Maharashtra through the principal seat in Mumbai and benches at Nagpur and Aurangabad as well as Goa It also exercises jurisdiction over the Union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuThe high court has a sanctioned strength of 94 judges with the current strength being 66 sitting judgesThe top court had taken note of an April 29 letter petition of Bombay Bar Association president Nitin Thakker and other bar leaders with respect to the urgent need of accommodation for the high court of judicature at Bombay whose existing building is 150 years oldWith PTI inputs