Chandigarh: The Centre has called a high-level meeting on 16 November, chaired by the Union Home Secretary, to consider the Chandigarh Administration’s 1500-crore plan to expand the Punjab and Haryana High Court complex.
Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, appearing for the Union of India, informed the High Court about the meeting.
Speaking to ThePrint on Monday, Jain clarified that the meeting held on 16 November dealt only with the financial part of the project.
He said design and structure approval must come from the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) heritage authorities since the High Court building is part of the Capitol Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Chandigarh Administration has already sent its project report there, Jain said, but the approval is still awaited.
The matter was heard last week by a bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, which recorded that a “high-powered meeting” had been convened under the Home Secretary to consider granting sanction and financial approval for the Court’s comprehensive plan.
The judges added that they “hope and trust” the competent authority would give the proposal due consideration, keeping in view the court’s urgent needs. The case was adjourned till 20 November. The bench also directed that a copy of the order be placed on the files of the other connected cases.
The matter is being heard in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Vinod Dhatterwal, an officer bearer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court employees’ association, and others against the Union of India and others.
The proposal
The plan envisages four new blocks, with 30 to 35 additional courtrooms, on about 11.42 lakh square feet behind the heritage building designed by Le Corbusier. Parking of about 11.17 lakh square feet is also proposed at the Capitol Complex.
To make room, the offices of the advocate generals of Punjab and Haryana, the judicial record room and the old lawyers’ chambers, among other structures, will be pulled down. They stand on about 2.07 lakh square feet and would be merged into the new blocks.
The parking is to be built in three levels below the new complex. Above ground, only three floors, the ground floor included, can come up, so that the skyline of the heritage building is not disturbed. With this addition, the total parking capacity at the complex would rise to about 22 lakh square feet.
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A plan stuck since 2013
The holistic plan was initiated in 2013 but has remained pending since 2014, partly due to the complex’s heritage status. A proposal for underground parking at the site was also rejected by UNESCO in 2023. The Capitol Complex, which includes the High Court building inaugurated in 1955, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016.
According to Jain, a revised plan has now been submitted to UNESCO and is likely to be considered later this month.
Growing congestion
According to an official of the Chandigarh administration, about 10,000 lawyers and over 3,300 court employees work at the complex, and most of them come in their own vehicles. Litigants add to the load.
Of the 85 sanctioned posts, the court currently has 64 judges. If all the posts are filled, finding courtrooms for every judge will be difficult. The strength is expected to go up in future. Registry staff works in cramped, poorly lit rooms, and there is not enough space to store important case files.
The court flagged the problem in a detailed order in December 2025, expressing concern over the lack of basic infrastructure.
During his Independence Day address, Chief Justice Mishra spoke about the limits of the present building. He said the building was designed for the needs of an earlier era, while the pressure of litigation and work has grown manifold.
The same case has also thrown up a dispute over space of another kind. ThePrint had reported how a verandah has brought the Supreme Court and the High Court on different sides of the same fence.
On 10 January, the Supreme Court stayed a High Court order for construction of a verandah outside courtroom number 1 of the High Court building. The High Court had passed that order in November while hearing the PIL.
Also Read: How a verandah has brought SC and Punjab & Haryana HC on different sides of the same fence
(Edited by Anupama Yadav)