Punjab and Haryana High Court orders Chandigarh Admin to allot 15 acres of land for HC's Administrative Block

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently directed the Chandigarh Administration to allot three plots of land measuring about 15 acres in total for the Court's administrative block [Vinod Dhatterwal and others v. Union of India and Others]..A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Nidhi Gupta said that the sanctioned strength of the high Court has risen from 9 to 85 judges in the 70 years since the establishment of the High Court and it may further rise to 150 in the next 50 years. “This High Court was constructed in the year 1954 with sanctioned strength of 09 Judges and at that time, there were about 200/250 registered Advocates. As on today, the sanctioned strength of the High Court Judges is 85 and there are about 10000 to 12000 registered Advocates in the High Court,” the Court noted.It added that there are 69 courtrooms in the High Court building in which Permanent Lok Adalats and Mediation Centres are also working.“Further, this Court is in the process of appointing 10 Counsellors and extra staff will be required for their back-up," the bench added..The Court reasoned that to accommodate so many judges and administrative staff, a piece of land in Sarangpur, which is around 10 kilometers away from the High Court, should be allotted by the Chandigarh Administration in favour of the High Court. "Keeping in view the future need of 50 years, a direction is being issued to the Union Territory, Chandigarh, administration to allot these three plots to the High Court," it ordered.Out of three plots, two plots measure six acres each and one plot is 2.86 acres. .The Court passed the order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Vinod Dhatterwal, who is the Secretary of Punjab and Haryana High Court Employees Association. .In the order, the Court noted that in an order passed on December 21 last year, it had observed that the High Court would give up its building situated in Sector 17 and Industrial Area Phase-I, Chandigarh if the three plots at Sarangpur were to be allotted to the High Court. “However, at that time, the increase in the sanctioned strength of the High Court Judges from 09 in the year 1954 to 85 in the year 2024 as well as the further increase in the next 50 years, had not been examined,” the bench said.Thus, it recorded that even when the three plots are allotted to the High Court, it would not give up the building in Sector 17 and Industrial Area Phase-1, Chandigarh.“It is made clear that the land in the Industrial Area and Sector 17, Chandigarh, where the High Court branches are already functioning, shall not be given back to the Chandigarh administration,” the Court clarified..It will hear the matter next on January 24..[Read Order]