The Bombay High
Court on Monday rapped the Maharashtra government for delaying land allotment
for the new court building in suburban Bandra, noting that the condition of the
existing structure in south Mumbai was bad and lives of judicial officers were
in peril because of it.
A division bench
of Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor expressed
displeasure with the state government for dragging its feet on the issue, and
said it does not want to create an "unsavoury situation".
The bench was
hearing a petition by lawyer Ahmed Abdi, alleging that the government had not
complied with the high court's 2018 order on land allotment for the court
building.
Last year, the
government informed the bench that approval was given to grant 30 acres of land
for a new high court building in Bandra, and the process was on to make
necessary changes in the state revenue records, after which possession would be
handed over.
Additional
government pleader Abhay Patki informed the court on Monday that there were
some existing structures on the proposed land that serve as residences for
government officers.
The government
will have to first figure out an alternate accommodation for those staff, he
said.
The bench then
sought to know if there was any plan in place to get the entire land vacated.
"The
condition of the Bombay High Court building is well known. The condition of
this building and also the annexe building is bad. Our officers work there.
Their lives are in peril. They work in dangerous conditions. There is no space
for storage... no space to walk... the stairs are in poor condition,"
Chief Justice Upadhyaya said.
The court then
asked why there was no change in the revenue records till now.
"The
government knew long back that the land was not vacant when it was earmarked
for the high court building. Why was nothing done for so long? What is the plan
for relocation?" the bench questioned.
Abdi told the
court that the government was deliberately delaying the process and that it had
no intention to allot the land for the court building.
The bench
directed the government to file an affidavit by March 28 providing details of
the steps it has taken so far to hand over the vacant land for the new court
building.
The land
earmarked in Bandra is expected to have central tribunals and chambers for
lawyers along with the high court building, which will also house judges'
quarters.