Delhi government not providing money, space for courts: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court remarked on Tuesday that there is a serious space crunch in the capital's courts, despite which the Delhi government is not providing any funds to address the issue..A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna said that by next year, there will be 100 new magistrates, but there is no space to accommodate them in any district court.“By next year, 100 magistrates will be ready and we have no space to accommodate them. We do not have any funds or space to get new courtrooms. There is not an inch of space in any district court. Delhi government is not providing any money or space. We are trying very hard, they [Delhi government] are not releasing funds,” Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan remarked.He added,“Projects are stuck, there is no money from the state. They are saying we have no money. No proposal is getting sanctioned. Nothing is in the pipeline. We are trying very hard…There is no space in Patiala House Court, there is no space in Rouse Avenue. It is a very serious situation. If they will give us the funds, we will build a building.”.The Court made these remarks while hearing a plea seeking space for local commissioners to record evidence.Counsel appearing for the petitioner Achla Dhawan referred to the affidavit filed by the Delhi High Court as well as several district courts to suggest that there is a space crunch. He further said that some courts have suggested that arrangements can be made for the purpose..After hearing the counsel, the Court remarked that it has no issue with providing the space, but there is none available in any court.ACJ Manmohan also remarked that he recently visited a district where he saw a stack of files on the magistrate’s table because there was no space to store them.“Go to Patiala House and tell me if there is any space. Go anywhere. If you find some space, I will depute some magistrate and judges there,” he said..The Court finally asked the Delhi government to file a report on whether it would make funds and land available to provide infrastructure for the purpose of recording of evidence by local commissioners. The matter will now be heard on December 1.