Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the new Bombay Supreme Court complex on the outskirts of Bandra (east) on Wednesday evening.
As the existing heritage buildings in south Mumbai’s Fort area are inadequate to meet the growing needs of HC, the state Public Works Department (PWD) on October 31 issued a tender notification for the construction of the ‘New Integrated Supreme Court Complex’ in the Bandra Government Colony area next to the Western Express Highway.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai
Project cost and deadline
According to the PWD tender notification, the project on 30.16 acres of land will now cost the government Rs 4,127.48 crore while the state cabinet in September approved Rs 3,750 crore for the same amount. The tender notice set a time limit of 60 months (5 years) to complete the engineering, procurement and construction of the complex. Deputy Chief Minister and State Finance Minister Ajit Pawar said at the event that the government has currently provided 15 acres of the total land and the remaining will be given by the end of March 2026. He also assured of all financial assistance for the project in the future.
Main features
As per the design chosen by the PWD and done by architect Hafeez Contractor, the new HC complex with an area of more than 50,000 square feet will have 75 advanced courtrooms with four-and-a-half-metre-wide corridors and the chief justice’s large courtroom will be below the main dome.
The complex will also contain waiting areas, judges’ chambers, residences, a mediation and arbitration center, a public hall, a conference hall, libraries for judges and lawyers, rooms dedicated to law officers, spacious rooms for bar associations, multi-level parking, a recreation hall, and modern facilities such as WiFi, scanning and digitization centers and advanced fire safety protocols.
The main building will have a semicircular facade spanning 450 metres, an Ashoka Pillar 50 metres-high, a large green space in front, and a large, central dome 70 metres-high. The interface will be between Kalanagar and Khirwadi bridges. The complex according to Deputy CM Pawar will have a parking facility with a capacity of 3,750 vehicles and parking for around 1,000 two-wheelers.
According to HC’s rendering, the design of the new building is inspired by classical architecture, and at the heart of the building there will be a “vast central atrium filled with natural light and openness” as a “sculptural centerpiece” and a grand circular staircase rising through the atrium.
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Need for a new complex
The rise in the number of judges and litigation created the need for the modern complex. While the approved strength of the Bombay High Court is 94 judges, the second highest in the country, it currently has 82 judges, the highest in recent years, across its headquarters and benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad (in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Goa (in Panaji) besides the recent addition of circuit benches in Kolhapur.
Construction of the Bombay HC headquarters, located between Flora Fountain and Churchgate in a Gothic-style stone building, began in April 1871 and was completed in 1978. It was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2018.
The building that was constructed to accommodate 10 to 15 judges now houses 30 to 40 judges as well as thousands of litigants, lawyers, court staff and others. It was built at a price of Rs. 16.44 lakh and has unique sculptures and statues.
Other land options
The HC and state authorities had earlier considered the Mumbai Port Authority land in Goregaon and Wadala before narrowing it down to the Bandra Colony (East) land, which was first developed in 1955. The Bar Associations had also suggested an alternative to renovate or rebuild the Central Telegraph Office (CTO) and the MTNL building, located near the existing HC building as additional spaces.
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Decision to complete Bandra land
Justice Abhay S Oka (former Supreme Court judge and Bombay HC judge) in January 2019 instructed the government to take a decision on offering a large and convenient plot of land for the new HC complex. The Maharashtra government then submitted a proposal to the Bombay HC administration to set up a new high court complex in Bandra (East).
The then CJI SA Bobde had said in May 2021 that the HC headquarters in Mumbai was “direly in need of a bigger and better building” and “the existing heritage buildings were not adequate to meet the growing needs of the HC.”
The Indian Express on October 24, 2022 first reported that the state government was planning to allocate nearly 30 acres of land in Bandra (East) Government Colony for the new HC complex.
In April 2024, CJ DK Upadhyaya of Bombay HC, while expressing displeasure over the handover of Bandra land, had asked the PWD to explore the availability of land on the outskirts of Goregaon for the new HC and provide details about its accessibility from the proposed coastal road.
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In September last year, CJI DY Chandrachud participated in the ‘groundbreaking’ ceremony of the new HC building and stressed the ‘priority to speed up the construction process’.
The current heritage building
In August 2023, the then Chief Justice Upadhyaya had also said that the heritage and archaeological value of the existing Supreme Court building should be preserved and preserved.
According to sources, even after the Supreme Court is shifted to Bandra Judicial Complex, the existing heritage building will remain under the management of HC and the views of all stakeholders will be taken into consideration before arriving at a decision on the use of the heritage building.
According to sources, even after the Supreme Court is shifted to the Bandra Judicial Complex, it is “almost certain” that the existing heritage building will remain under the management of the HC and the views of all stakeholders will be taken into consideration before arriving at a decision on the use of the heritage building.
(Tags for translation) New Bombay High Court Complex
