Heritage impact report for expansion may take more time, Chandigarh Admn tells HC
Deferred further proceedings to February 27
The UT Administration on Monday informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that comprehensive heritage impact assessment (HIA) report –– a key prerequisite in view of the site’s UNESCO-protected heritage character –– was still under preparation and might take “a little more time”.
As the matter came up for resumed hearing, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry sought clarity on the status of the HIA. Responding to the query, counsel for the UT Administration stated: “It will come. That takes a couple of months actually. Work is going on and will take a little more time. It is very comprehensive… The consultant has been entrusted to get it done, or do it, at his own level. He is doing it.”
The counsel also told the Bench that that the consultant’s bill had reached the secretary-level on February 16 and was likely to be cleared within a week. “In a few days or in a week, that bill will be cleared,” the counsel submitted.
Taking note of the submissions, the Bench deferred further proceedings on its long-pending infrastructure expansion project to February 27, awaiting crucial report’s submission.
The HC building, designed by Le Corbusier, forms part of the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Any structural addition or expansion within the complex requires careful scrutiny under the World Heritage framework. In keeping with this requirement, the concept note for the proposed expansion has already been submitted to the Fondation Le Corbusier.
The issue assumes urgency against the backdrop of acute infrastructure constraints flagged repeatedly by the court. Despite a sanctioned strength of 85 judges, only 69 courtrooms are functional. The Bench had earlier recorded that the shortfall “dissuades the HC from working at full strength,” urging the Administration “to take a pragmatic view and allow the HC to expand in terms of infrastructure by giving approval to the holistic plan, be it restrictively.”
In a detailed order passed on December 5, 2025, the Bench had described the shortage of space as “extreme”, noting that although the detailed project report was approved in principle in July 2020, the proposal remained stalled over heritage-related concerns. The court had also taken note of Registry staff functioning in cramped and poorly ventilated rooms, with files and records reportedly lying on the floor.
