Bombay High Court to have a new building in the Bandra Kurla Complex

The old building is beautiful but it is insufficient, says Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

The Maharashtra Government on Saturday said the Bombay High Court will soon be provided a new building in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), around 22 km away from its current premises in south Mumbai.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Dipankar Datta, had made all efforts to have a new High Court building in the BKC. Mr. Datta’s elevation to the Supreme Court was recommended by the Collegium in September.

Mr. Fadnavis said “everything has been cleared” and there would soon be a decision on it, adding, “The old building is beautiful but it is insufficient.” He was speaking at an event to felicitate the Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit at the Raj Bhavan here in the presence of sitting and former judges of the High Court and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

“It is important to have a High Court building in BKC and meetings have been held as per the suggestions,” Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.

“We are very happy that a son of Kolhapur and Solapur became the CJI and we are getting an opportunity to felicitate him,” Mr. Shinde said in a reference to CJI Lalit. The 49th CJI was born in Solapur and his family hails from the Konkan region of Maharashtra, moving to Solapur when his grandfather began practising law. His father, U.R. Lalit, was an Additional Judge in the Nagpur Bench of the High Court.

Mr. Shinde said the felicitation event had been organised on September 11 but had to be cancelled following Queen Elizabeth II’s demise. CJI Lalit is to retire on November 8.

“I am very happy to be felicitated today. I have been to the Pandharpur pilgrimage several times on a route from Alandi to Pandharpur. I am closely connected with this soil and State,” the CJI said.