Amid space crunch, Punjab and Haryana HC considers third site proposed for possible relocation

Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, representing the Union of India, informed the court that officials and stakeholders — including members of the Bar, court staff, architects, and the Union Territory administration — met on August 7 to discuss the urgent requirement for more courtrooms. He said the meeting examined two possible courses of action, keeping in mind the severe space crunch and the fact that the current complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Options being considered

The first option, Jain said, is to expand “within the existing campus,” specifically towards the parking area outside the Bar room. The plan proposes three underground parking levels and three floors above ground, accommodating 16 new courtrooms at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore. However, this would require UNESCO’s clearance — a process expected to take about a year — and would cause significant disruption to the roughly 1,000 vehicles parked there daily, alongside logistical and security challenges during the multi-year construction.

The second option involves relocating court facilities to one of two new sites. The first is Sarangpur, with 48 acres of available land and an estimated project cost of Rs 350 crore. The Union territory administration is open to this plan, though site-specific challenges remain. The second is an IT park, which will be assessed for feasibility. Jain said a small team of senior officials and Bar representatives will visit both Sarangpur and the IT park this weekend to evaluate ground realities such as traffic flow and infrastructure readiness.

Bar Association seeks time

The Bar Association has sought time till August 20 to decide whether it is willing to move out of the current complex. If it agrees, planning will proceed at the chosen new site. If not, the administration will have to pursue the in-situ expansion despite the constraints.

During the hearing, Bar Council president Sartej Singh Narula suggested a third option — using several acres of land freed after the furniture market’s relocation near Sectors 53–55, close to Mohali.

Senior standing counsel for the Union territory, Anit Jhanji, reading from affidavits, highlighted the Capitol Complex’s UNESCO heritage restrictions, noting that any major construction within the protected zone must be pre-cleared by the World Heritage Committee under Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. He also traced the legal framework since the complex’s 2016 inscription is part of Le Corbusier’s transnational architectural works.

The bench also discussed an approved plan near the Open Hand Monument that proposes shifting certain high court branches into five new halls, freeing space within the main building. The counsel suggested incorporating two underground parking levels into this project to address staff parking shortages. The court noted that, if feasible, this plan could be placed before the heritage committee by September for clearance.

Bar Council advocates, meanwhile, called for a small joint committee of the high court, Union territory administration, and Bar representatives to address “minor but persistent” operational issues outside the courtroom, such as delayed fire safety clearances and relocation of branches.

The matter will be heard next on August 22.

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