At an extraordinary general meeting called today [pdf] by the Bombay Bar Association, a resolution was passed on the possible shift of the Bombay High Court..The EGM was called two days before the High Court shall once again hear a petition regarding the construction of a new court complex in the city..This resolution becomes particularly relevant, given the fact that during the previous hearing, an application was moved opposing the shift. Represented by senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, the applicant, Jayakar had suggested that there instead could be a focus on optimising the existing space. Dwarkadas had also raised concerns regarding the heritage structure that currently houses the High Court..Chaired by BBA President and senior counsel Milind Sathe, the EGM saw attendance from roughly forty members of the lawyers’ association. With Sathe providing a background of the case, Honorary Secretary Dr. Birendra Saraf spoke of the numbers involved..For instance, the current area used by the BBA was roughly thirty-five thousand square feet; the new court complex would offer more than a lac square feet. Overall, the new complex would provide over twenty-five lac square feet, roughly three times the current area..Sathe also said that the BBA has asked for around 2,500 lawyers’ chambers, each of two hundred square feet. Although admitting that this was an optimistic number, Sathe said that the association should not antagonise the High Court, and be open to the court’s suggestions..The meeting also saw some lawyers such as senior counsel Ravi Kadam and Aspi Chinoy expressing their opinions. Kadam, for instance, was keen on the move to the new premises, arguing that the current court complex is simply inadequate for today’s needs. This is especially true when viewed from the perspective of the litigant..“There are no facilities for the litigants. People who come from outside (Mumbai) have nowhere to go. They are forced to use the filthy toilets…From an access to justice point of view, we need to move. We will have to shift.”.Kadam argued that instead of opposing the move, the focus should shift on ensuring that the bar association receives adequate facilities..Aspi Chinoy though, had a slightly different track to take. Although not opposing the shift per se, the senior counsel warned that it may not be prudent to focus on the “grand plans” instead of the more immediate needs..“The new court complex may take another fifty years. We should go with it but not lose sight of what needs to be done right now. We must rationalise space for the new future…the BBA must insist that we focus on the immediate needs.”.In the end though, the resolution passed stated that the BBA did not, in principle, oppose the shifting of the Bombay High Court. Of course, the resolution also contained a number of disclaimers such as adequate space for lawyers’ chambers, a library etc. The complete details of the resolution would be made available tomorrow.
At an extraordinary general meeting called today [pdf] by the Bombay Bar Association, a resolution was passed on the possible shift of the Bombay High Court..The EGM was called two days before the High Court shall once again hear a petition regarding the construction of a new court complex in the city..This resolution becomes particularly relevant, given the fact that during the previous hearing, an application was moved opposing the shift. Represented by senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, the applicant, Jayakar had suggested that there instead could be a focus on optimising the existing space. Dwarkadas had also raised concerns regarding the heritage structure that currently houses the High Court..Chaired by BBA President and senior counsel Milind Sathe, the EGM saw attendance from roughly forty members of the lawyers’ association. With Sathe providing a background of the case, Honorary Secretary Dr. Birendra Saraf spoke of the numbers involved..For instance, the current area used by the BBA was roughly thirty-five thousand square feet; the new court complex would offer more than a lac square feet. Overall, the new complex would provide over twenty-five lac square feet, roughly three times the current area..Sathe also said that the BBA has asked for around 2,500 lawyers’ chambers, each of two hundred square feet. Although admitting that this was an optimistic number, Sathe said that the association should not antagonise the High Court, and be open to the court’s suggestions..The meeting also saw some lawyers such as senior counsel Ravi Kadam and Aspi Chinoy expressing their opinions. Kadam, for instance, was keen on the move to the new premises, arguing that the current court complex is simply inadequate for today’s needs. This is especially true when viewed from the perspective of the litigant..“There are no facilities for the litigants. People who come from outside (Mumbai) have nowhere to go. They are forced to use the filthy toilets…From an access to justice point of view, we need to move. We will have to shift.”.Kadam argued that instead of opposing the move, the focus should shift on ensuring that the bar association receives adequate facilities..Aspi Chinoy though, had a slightly different track to take. Although not opposing the shift per se, the senior counsel warned that it may not be prudent to focus on the “grand plans” instead of the more immediate needs..“The new court complex may take another fifty years. We should go with it but not lose sight of what needs to be done right now. We must rationalise space for the new future…the BBA must insist that we focus on the immediate needs.”.In the end though, the resolution passed stated that the BBA did not, in principle, oppose the shifting of the Bombay High Court. Of course, the resolution also contained a number of disclaimers such as adequate space for lawyers’ chambers, a library etc. The complete details of the resolution would be made available tomorrow.
