Kochi: It’s official. The proposed judicial city, which will cater to the future growth needs of the Kerala High Court and accommodate the Kerala Judicial Academy and Arbitration Centre, will come up at Kalamassery. Under this project, the High Court complex will be shifted from Kochi city to 27 acres of land owned by HMT at Kalamassery, which has been identified for the project.
The proposed HC building will have 60 courts, and the overall facilities will cover 28 lakh square feet, designed to meet the future needs of the area. The complex will include chambers for judges, advocate general, lawyers, staff quarters, parking facilities and facilities for women judges.
The judicial city will also have bungalows for judges, staff quarters, housing facilities for lawyers and an arbitration centre.
The establishment of the judicial city was agreed upon at a meeting in Kochi on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Justice Ashish Jitendra Desai. Officials said the proposal was first sent to the government by the Kerala High Court administration last year.
The CM said that in Sunday’s meeting it was decided to take steps to implement the project in Kalamassery. Site inspection by HC judges and state ministers will be conducted on February 17. The meeting was also attended by Law Minister P Rajeev, Revenue Minister K Rajan, HC judges AK Jaishankaran Nambiar, AK Muhammad Mustaq and Bechu Kurian Thomas and other top officials. ,
While the government has identified 27 acres of land for the project, more land will be acquired if required. The aim is to establish state-of-the-art buildings and systems including a high court as well as an academy and arbitration centre, an official statement said.
60 courts, bungalows for judges
The proposed HC complex will have 60 courts and total facilities spanning 28 lakh square feet. The judicial city will also have bungalows for judges and housing facilities for lawyers.
The existing facility is facing shortage of space
HC officials first came up with this proposal as the existing facility was facing space constraints. The annual meeting of the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice held in Thiruvananthapuram last November reached an informal decision in this regard. The limitations arose from acquiring additional land adjacent to the existing HC building for housing judges and staff. The pending notification from the Union Environment Ministry regarding eco-sensitive areas, coupled with the commencement of work for the exhibition city, forced the authorities to look for an alternative location.
Kalamassery was considered in the meeting keeping in mind the accessibility and connectivity of the area. The Chief Justice had recently visited the land identified for the project. Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA) has come out against the move. KHCAA President Yashwant Shenoy said, “As long as the opinion of the General Assembly remains, the Kerala High Court will not be shifted to Kalamassery or anywhere else, even if the Chief Minister or Law Minister is interested in it.” ,
