Mumbai: The Bombay High Court is set to embark on a significant upgrade with the construction of a new court complex in Bandra, to be marked by a groundbreaking ceremony on September 23.
The Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud, will lay the foundation stone for the proposed complex. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, will attend the ceremony.
Former justices of the Supreme Court, including B R Gavai, A S Oka, and others, alongside the current Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, were established on August 16, 1862.
The Bombay High Court has been located at Flora Fountain since November 1878. Originally designed for 10 judges, the historic building has now become inadequate for the court’s growing needs. With Mumbai being a major economic hub, the new complex aims to provide modern infrastructure and facilities.
The upcoming building, located in Bandra east, will feature spacious courtrooms, judges’ chambers, and facilities for arbitration and mediation. Plans include amenities for staff, lawyers and litigants, such as banking services, medical facilities, a digitisation centre, creche, a cafeteria, waiting areas and a multi-storey parking lot, designed with accessibility in mind. The new complex will be spread over 30.16 acres of land, with the first phase involving the transfer of 4.39 acres already underway.
This initiative reflects the need for enhanced judicial infrastructure in Maharashtra, catering to the court’s future demands for effective justice delivery. The land on which the new premises will come up is well-located, with proximity to the island city as well as the suburbs, the arterial Western Express Highway and the Bandra-Kurla Complex, among the country’s leading commercial hubs.
The Bombay High Court serves the states of Maharashtra and Goa, along with the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It currently has a sanctioned strength of 94 judges, with 66 judges presently serving
