Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has made it clear that the judiciary is completely independent. However, during a program on Monday, he also said that when it comes to the budget and infrastructure of the court, the court stands with the government. The special thing is that recently there was a lot of political rhetoric over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Ganesh Puja organized at the CJI’s residence.
The CJI on Monday laid the foundation stone for the new complex of the Bombay High Court in Mumbai’s Bandra area. Stones from the existing high court building in south Mumbai will be incorporated in the foundation. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, senior Supreme Court judges and High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyay attended the ceremony.
On this occasion, the CJI said, ‘There should be no doubt that the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts do their work with complete independence. But whenever it comes to budget and infrastructure, we stand with the government. These are not personal projects for the judges.’
These facilities will be available in the new campus
The new complex of the High Court will have spacious court rooms, chambers for judges and registry staff, an arbitration centre, an auditorium, library and various facilities for staff, lawyers and litigants.
The Maharashtra government has said that possession of 30.16 acres of land will be handed over to the High Court in a phased manner. It said the first installment of 4.39 acres has already been given.
The Bombay High Court, established on August 16, 1862, is currently located in a building near Flora Fountain (Hutatma Chowk), an official said. The court has been there since November 1878, the official said.
The principal bench of the Bombay High Court is in Mumbai, while there are benches in Nagpur and Aurangabad as well as Goa. The Bombay High Court also has jurisdiction over the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
(With agency input)