With addl space, High Court set for horizontal expansion

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, November 18

The Punjab and Haryana High Court is gearing up for a significant horizontal expansion with a Division Bench directing the Chandigarh Administration to come up with a clear timeframe for the transfer of currently locked vacant rooms in the old secretariat building in Sector 9. This decision is a response to the High Court’s pressing need for extra space.

The directions came on a plea seeking directions to the Union Government, UT Administration and other respondents to expedite the High Court’s “holistic development plan” for reducing the load on the existing building.

The Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Nidhi Gupta asked the counsel appearing for the respondent-UT to get instructions from the Administration “as to when the vacant rooms in old secretariat building, Sector 9, which are locked, can be handed over to the HC keeping in view the fact that it is in dire need of extra space”. The case will now come up for further hearing on November 20.

The Bench has already issued a directive to get a heritage assessment done “in respect of the holistic plan approved by the MHA” for construction of 20 courtrooms, chamber and a multi-level parking. The matter was placed before the Bench after a petition was filed in public interest by Vinod Dhatterwal of the HC Employees Association, and other petitioners.