Kalamassery Judicial City, new Kerala High Court building proposal get Cabinet nod

The proposal for a new Kerala High Court building and Judicial City in Ernakulam's suburb of Kalamassery has received the approval of the State Cabinet..The State government has decided to acquire 27 acres of land owned by HMT and begin construction of the project which is estimated to cost over ₹1,000 crores.Kerala Minister for Industries, Coir & Law P Rajeev announced the same today via a post on his official page on FaceBook.The Public Works Department has prepared a primary outline of the judicial city which includes the new Kerala High Court building. The Home Department has been instructed to initiate steps to implement the project.The project as envisaged would see three multi-storey towers of over 12 lakh square feet with 61 court halls, registrar's office, auditorium, rooms for various committees, administrative block, library block, arbitration centre, recruitment cell, information centre, Advocate General's office, and chambers for advocates. Plans have also been made for parking facilities and rainwater harvesting..The Cabinet nod follows the decisions taken at the Chief Minister - Chief Justice annual meeting in 2023. According to the Law Minister's post, details of the project were ironed out at the meeting after a delegation comprising then Kerala High Court Chief Justice AJ Desai and Justices Mohammed Mushtaq, Bechu Kurian Thomas, Raja Vijayaraghavan and Satheesh Nainan visited the site. The HMT-owned property in Kalamassery was deemed to be the most suitable place for the judicial city. Interestingly, Kalamassery is the constituency of Minister Rajeev. Kalamassery is also connected to several National Highways, the Seaport-Airport Road and the Kochi Metro Rail..The proposal for establishing a judicial city came about after complaints arose about the condition of the present High Court building, which is nestled in the heart of Kochi city. While it is well connected, the area is prone to severe waterlogging and parking space is scarce. The High Court building is also a stone's throw away from Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary, an ecologically sensitive area. The Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA) has so far staunchly opposed the proposal to move the High Court to Kalamassery..The Shifting Legacy of the Kerala High Court - Part II.Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.