UT tells HC: Court complex expansion must be finalised by December

Published on: Oct 18, 2025 07:56 AM IST

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Panel set up by Punjab and Haryana high court to examine space crunch; UNESCO clearance required for current site

The Chandigarh administration on Friday informed the Punjab and Haryana high court that the expansion plan for the current complex, if to be executed in 2026, must be finalised by December. The UT’s senior standing counsel, Amit Jhanji, told a bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry that the plan would require UNESCO approval due to the heritage status of the high court complex.

The Punjab and Haryana high court currently sees over 10,000 cars and thousands of two-wheelers daily, with 10,000 lawyers and more than 3,300 employees. (HT File)

“All stakeholders are on the same page and a solution could be found soon,” Jhanji said, describing the deliberations of the panel set up by the high court to examine the space crunch.

The panel, formed last month and headed by a sitting high court judge, includes members from the Bar association, Chandigarh administration, Punjab, Haryana, Centre and other stakeholders. It has met several times to discuss how best to address the growing demand for space in the high court. The panel was created after opposition from the lawyers’ body to shifting the high court to Sarangpur, where the UT had offered around 45 acres. Both the lawyers and the high court administration had expressed concerns over traffic congestion on the road connecting PGIMER to Sarangpur.

The UT said expansion at the current location is possible but would require reducing the area to 2-3 lakh square metre and obtaining UNESCO clearance, as the high court complex is part of the Capitol Complex, which was declared a world heritage site in 2016. The panel will now examine how much land the UT can provide at the present site and how it can be utilised to meet future requirements.

The expansion issue is being deliberated under a PIL filed in 2023 by Vinod Dhatterwal, secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Employees Association. The plea seeks implementation of a holistic development plan, including multi-storey buildings to accommodate additional space. The plan was initially proposed in 2013 but had to be shelved following UNESCO’s heritage designation in 2016.

The high court currently sees over 10,000 cars and thousands of two-wheelers daily, with 10,000 lawyers and more than 3,300 employees. While the sanctioned strength is 85 judges, only 60 positions are filled. If all posts are occupied in the future, the administration would struggle to provide sufficient courtrooms. The complex also experiences severe traffic jams during peak hours, highlighting the urgency of the expansion.