Foundation stone to be laid for family court on Sunday

Exactly one year after the state law and judiciary department allotted Shivajinagar godown land to Pune family court,the foundation stone laying ceremony (bhoomipujan) will be held at the new premises on Sunday. Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Swatanter Kumar will be the chief guest for this function,said advocate Pradeep Chitale,secretary of Pune Family Court Lawyers’ Association.

The one-year gap is seen as a result of delay in allocation and release of funds as the budget session was postponed. An amount of Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned for a three-storey building planned for the family court. The shifting of family court is shrouded by controversy. Located on the seventh and ninth floor of Bharati Vidyapeeth Bhavan at Alka Chowk,the varsity had sought Bombay High Court’s intervention for non-evacuation of premises in March this year.

The court is functioning on the seventh floor from January 1986 and on the ninth floor from March 1992 and currently houses five courtrooms. However,the space is limited and the lawyers are hoping for better space management in the new premises. “We need a library,separate bar rooms for male and female lawyers,a meeting room for litigants and lawyers. These demand are likely to be met once the new building comes up,” said Rekha Koratkar,president of the ‘Pune family court lawyers’ association’.