The Supreme Court of India, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, has expressed serious concerns over the delay by the Delhi Government in disbursing funds for crucial infrastructure projects in the Delhi High Court. In a firm directive, the Court has ordered the Delhi government to expedite the release of these funds by December 14.
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During the hearing, the Supreme Court bench was vocal about the critical state of affairs in the Delhi High Court, which is regarded as a model high court in the country. The bench expressed its dissatisfaction with the Delhi government’s approach, with Chief Justice Chandrachud remarking,
“What is happening? What is your government doing? You do not want to give any funds to Delhi High Court? You must release the money by Thursday…It is a model High Court and look at the condition.”
Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, representing the case, highlighted the urgency of the situation, pointing out the acute shortage of courtrooms. He stated,
“It requires 200 courtrooms in one year…prosecutors and judges are waiting in queues because there is no place! This is unacceptable for a plan which was placed in 2021.”
The Supreme Court’s status report indicated that as of December 5, the Delhi High Court had a sanctioned strength of 887 judicial officers and a working strength of 813 officers. However, there was a significant shortfall of 118 courtrooms to accommodate the sanctioned strength, and a vacancy of 114 courtrooms for the working strength. The bench noted that approvals for three out of four projects were granted as of March 2021, yet the funds for these projects remained unreleased.
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The Court criticized the Delhi government for its lackadaisical attitude towards the judiciary’s needs, stating,
“The delay in approving funds is lamentable and there is no justification for the lackadaisical attitude of the Delhi government towards the Delhi district judiciary.”
In response to these challenges, the Supreme Court directed the Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and the State government to convene a meeting to address the acute shortage of infrastructure in the district judiciary. The meeting, to be attended by the Chief Secretary of GNCTD, Principal Secretary (Law), Principal Secretary (Finance), Secretary in charge of PWD, and the Registrar General of the High Court, is aimed at expediting necessary clearances and approvals.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a follow-up hearing on this matter, expecting the Delhi government to inform the court about the sanctions issued by then. This directive from the Supreme Court underscores the urgency of addressing the infrastructural needs of the judiciary to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the legal system.
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