Three judges sharing one courtroom; peak non-cooperation by State in providing court infra: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up the Delhi government yet again for its non-cooperation in providing funds and infrastructure for courts in the national capital [Achla Dhawan v State of NCT of Delhi and Anr]..A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna said that the government’s approach was “non-cooperation at its peak” and that no projects were being cleared despite courts facing severe space and fund crunch.“We are hearing a lot of things. Officers are saying a lot of things. But we are not saying anything because we are restraining ourselves. This is non-cooperation at its peak. Nothing is coming through. There are six to seven projects, they are all stuck. All projects are stuck. There are in-principle agreements from 2019 and 2021 but not a brick has been laid. Is this the level of cooperation,” the Court remarked.ACJ Manmohan said that the space crunch in Patiala House Court was so serious that three judges were sharing a courtroom and many judges were being asked to work from home.“Today, I have a digital court in Patiala House Court.. One is shared by three judges. Two judges are asked to sit at home. There are no courtrooms for officers. We will have 100 judges ready by next month, I do not know where we will put them,” he said..The Court made these remarks while hearing a plea filed by one Achla Dhawan seeking space for local commissioners to record evidence..Notably, even in the previous hearing of the case, the High Court had raised these and taken judicial note of the fact that in all District Courts in Delhi, there is a shortage of space and budget. The Bench had said that the number of court rooms available is not commensurate with the sanctioned strength of judicial officers and several new judicial infrastructure projects have been awaiting administrative approval and expenditure sanction of the Delhi government. .Additional Standing Counsel (Civil) Sameer Vashisht appeared for the Delhi government today and told the Bench that till date, there is no proposal from the High Court regarding space for local commissioners.With regards to the space for courtroom, he said that land in Delhi falls under the domain of the Central government..The Bench responded that there is only one project with the Central government while the rest are with Delhi government and yet nothing is coming through.“Things are very very difficult,” the Bench stressed..Vashisht said that he will try to push the authorities and will convey the Court’s anguish to the government and the law secretary.The Bench then proceeded to direct Vashisht to file a detailed affidavit on the issue. It also ordered the law secretary to join the proceedings through video-conferencing.The matter will be heard next on January 9, 2024.