The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association is preparing to approach the Supreme Court against the State government’s decision to acquire land for relocating the Kerala High Court to Kalamassery, after the Cabinet recently approved the plan for a new judicial city.
The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) addressed a letter to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, expressing their opposition to the initiative to relocate the High Court to the Kalamassery suburb of Kochi city.
This proposal to establish a judicial city follows complaints regarding the current High Court building, which is centrally located in Kochi city.
Despite its good connectivity, the area experiences significant waterlogging issues and has limited parking facilities.
Additionally, the current building is situated near the ecologically sensitive Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary.
In September, the State Cabinet approved the relocation plan, aiming to acquire 27 acres of land owned by HMT in Kalamassery and initiate construction, projected to cost over Rs.1,000 crores.
The State has since approached the Supreme Court to obtain permission for taking possession of this land, linked to an ongoing case involving HMT from 2016 related to land ceiling matters.
For years, KHCAA opposed this relocation effort, recently passing a resolution during its Annual General Body meeting on November 27 to intervene in the Supreme Court against the move.
In their correspondence with the Chief Justice, KHCAA outlined several reasons for their opposition:
- The current High Court building is less than 20 years old, and relocating it raises serious concerns about planning deficiencies and the expenditure of State funds.
- Establishing a judicial city is unjustifiable when the District Judiciary in Kerala operates in outdated or rented accommodations, often lacking essential facilities.
- The existing building offers approximately 6 lakh sq. ft of space, which is sufficient and can be easily expanded to accommodate 60 courtrooms. KHCAA proposed relocating physical files to a nearby building designated as ‘record rooms’ given that the Kerala High Court is already computerized.
- There is sufficient land surrounding the current High Court for possible expansion, such as the 17.73 acres of Housing Board land adjacent to the building. Instead of developing this area into an international convention center, KHCAA argued it would better serve the public if designated for the High Court’s expansion.
- The State government continues to invest substantial funds in infrastructure development around the current High Court premises. KHCAA considered discarding these improvements a “criminal waste” of public resources.
- While the present building lies in the city center, the proposed judicial city will be located in a suburb that lacks adequate facilities.
- The State did not consult the Full Court of the High Court before applying to the Supreme Court.
- The legal community would face significant upheaval, taking decades to adjust, particularly for middle-class and economically vulnerable lawyers. KHCAA highlighted that land prices around the judicial city have surged since the proposal’s announcement.
- The push for relocation seems influenced by “real estate lobbies.”
- The proposed judicial city is within the constituency of the current State Law Minister, P Rajeev, which raises serious conflict-of-interest concerns, according to KHCAA.