Explained: The plans for relocating Kerala High Court to new ‘judicial city’ at Kalamassery

The decision follows the 2023 annual meeting between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Ashish Jitendra Desai, then the Chief Justice of the High Court, in which the project had been proposed. The court had then flagged the space constraints on its current premises. Here is what to know about the proposed judicial city.

The proposed judicial city

The judicial city is essentially a judicial complex of courts and associated infrastructure that will house the new High Court. It will have a built-up area of 12 lakh square feet and has been envisaged as three towers, conceptualising Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee the right to equality, right to freedom and right to life and personal liberty, respectively. One of the towers will have seven storeys, whilst the other two will have six storeys each.

The complex will house 61 court halls for the High Court, an auditorium, offices of registrars, chambers for various committees, a spacious library, an administrative wing, an arbitration centre, an IT block, an information centre and a recruitment cell. Additionally, the towers will accommodate the office of the advocate general, chambers for lawyers and the judicial academy.

The HMT site in Kalamassery was chosen after a team visit led by then Chief Justice AJ Desai, along with Justices Mohammed Mushtaq, Bechu Kurian Thomas, Raja Vijayaraghavan, and Satheesh Ninan. The location was chosen for its accessibility and connectivity.

Why a judicial city now?

The judicial city addresses two major issues:

First, the High Court is currently situated in the heart of Kochi and witnesses extreme congestion. Expanding facilities and infrastructure at the present high court complex, situated at Marine Drive in Kochi, has become difficult due to space constraints.

The present nine-storey high court complex was inaugurated in 2006. It is situated on five acres of land with a built-up area of 5.50 lakh square feet. Until then, the high court functioned at Ram Mohan Palace, close to the existing complex. From the formation of the Kerala High Court in 1956, the high court has functioned at the palace. The palace housed the Kerala Judicial Academy, where judicial officers are trained, before it was relocated to Athani in Aluva, Ernakulam. The palace now houses the advocate-general’s office.

Secondly, the current location is also close to the Mangalavanam bird sanctuary, which is an eco-sensitive zone that places restrictions on the court’s expansion.

The proposed judicial city at Kalamassery is expected to offer better accessibility and transport facilities, given its proximity to the Kochi metro and national highway.

Concerns raised

The move has drawn the criticism of the Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA), which has expressed concerns about relocating the High Court away from Kochi city. In a 2024 letter to the Chief Justice, the association claimed the move was arbitrary, and that it had not been consulted as part of the decision.

The association pointed out that the present High Court complex, constructed at a cost of Rs 85 crore, has been opened barely 20 years back, and had undergone extensive renovations recently. It said Kalamassery would face traffic bottlenecks once the judicial city became functional.

The association also noted that the construction of the current High Court spanned 12 years and was marred by funding delays.