Chandigarh, Nov 22: — A court-appointed panel has laid out an ambitious expansion scheme for the Punjab and Haryana High Court, recommending four new blocks, extensive underground parking and the relocation of several administrative offices, asserting that the plan balances conservation with growth.
The scheme was presented before the High Court on Friday during proceedings in a public interest plea filed last year by employees’ union secretary Vinod Dhatterwal, who sought an integrated expansion to address long-standing infrastructure stress. The panel, headed by Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, said the proposal “serves the institution’s future, while respecting its past.”
Under the recommendation, three major blocks would rise behind the heritage structure on 11.42 lakh square feet, while an additional 11.17 lakh square feet would be dedicated to parking facilities at the Capitol Complex. The panel further advised dismantling the advocate general offices of both states, the old chambers, and the judicial record room—together occupying about 2.07 lakh square feet—and relocating them into the new extension.
Committee members noted during the presentation that the expansion is expected to increase judicial capacity significantly. At present, the High Court operates 69 courtrooms, and the additions could enable 25 to 30 more spaces for hearings, besides new lawyer chambers and commercial amenities. “The interior plan will decide the exact numbers,” a person familiar with the proposal mentioned.
According to the project outline, three subterranean levels of parking would be constructed, with only three floors permitted above ground to retain the silhouette of Le Corbusier’s building, which UNESCO listed as a World Heritage site in 2016. Officials involved in drafting the plan said the modified layout could push total parking availability to roughly 22 lakh square feet.
UNESCO authorisation remains the key hurdle. The global agency previously declined approval for the 2014 redevelopment strategy and a subsequent parking project. People engaged in the process noted that the committee intends to complete formalities within the next fortnight and submit the proposal by December. “If we aim to begin work next year, the submission must reach UNESCO before the annual cut-off,” one person said, adding that missing the deadline would defer the proposal by an entire calendar year.
