Jharkhand’s new HC complex biggest in the country by area: Few things to know

CJI DY Chandrachud said that “With the expansion of the judiciary building, the prestige of the judicial system increases … (However) maintaining the faith of the people who will enter the buildings with cases is our (the judiciary’s) responsibility.” Similarly, Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court Sanjaya Mishra spoke about how the “new state of art building” will help in securing “social, political, and economic justice to all citizens”.

On the other hand, CM Hemant Soren requested the Centre for sponsored scheme for infrastructure in High Courts. “Although a centrally sponsored scheme is being run by the Government of India for the infrastructure of the subordinate judiciary, no such scheme is available for the High Courts. If the cost of the land is included, then Rs 1,000 crore is the amount spent by the state government on this new building of Jharkhand HC,” Soren noted.

The need for a new HC complex

The new Jharkhand HC complex was first conceptualised in 2013, but work only started in 2015, after a number of hiccups.

Ranchi: President Droupadi Murmu with Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud during the inauguration of the new building of Jharkhand High Court, in Ranchi, Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (PTI Photo)

The need for the new building arose due to the growing numbers of litigants and the structural vulnerability of the old HC building, which has been operating since 1972 – first as a circuit court and then as a permanent bench of the Patna High Court. Since the formation of Jharkhand state on November 15, 2000, the only bench of the Jharkhand High Court operated from the old building.

Around 60 percent of the work on the new complex was completed in the last two years, with over Rs 550 crore spent on its construction.

Some features and facilities

The main building complex is built on 72 acres of land, with the total campus around 167 acres in size, leaving scope for future expansion.

The complex comprises an auditorium, conference rooms, committee meeting halls, and a separate building for the Advocate General and government counsels. It has a capacity of more than 5000 people including judges, residential judges, lawyers and visitors.

It has 25 air-conditioned court blocks which will include the judge’s chamber, one ante room, one personal assistant room and one waiting room. In addition, the Chief Justice Block will also include a video conference room, a kitchen, a dining hall and a conference hall. There will be 12 separate conference rooms for the judges, 10 chambers for the registrars, and four court offices.

In addition there will be a sitting lounge, a judge’s library, oath commissioner’s chambers, different cells, chambers, one kitchen and one canteen.

Facilities for lawyers

There will be one Advocate General’s chamber, a conference hall and a library. The complex will also boast of three chambers for the Deputy Advocate Generals, and 95 chambers for Additional Public Prosecutor and other law officers.

Among the facilities for the advocates, there will be a central lobby of 14,000 square feet, separate recreation halls for men (two) and women lawyers (one), four halls for advocate clerks, and a Bar room. There will also be two halls for advocates with a seating capacity of 1,660 people, 76 senior advocate chambers with toilets and pantry attached ,and 369 advocate chambers. Two kitchens and two canteens have been constructed for lawyers.

Among additional buildings there will be two typist blocks, one dispensary, one amenities block, a 70-men barracks (for security personnel), and four watchtowers. 500 CCTV cameras have been installed too. There is a parking capacity of 2,000 vehicles.

A green project?

As President Droupadi Murmu mentioned in her speech, the HC complex has been constructed keeping in mind the principle of energy conservation. Consequently, solar panels have been installed, which will supply a significant amount energy for the complex’s operation. “We have installed a 2,000 KVA solar system which will cater to 40 per cent of the electricity needs,” secretary Sunil Kumar said.

More than 4,400 saplings have also been planted.

It is estimated that the water requirement in the High Court will be 353 Kilo Litres (KLD) per day which will initially be met through the municipal supply. The total fresh water requirement will be 193 KLD per day. The water requirement for flushing, landscaping and other such tasks will be met through treated water supplied from a sewage treatment plant (STP), which has a capacity of 200 KLD.