The Public Works Department (PWD) has failed to meet the Punjab and Haryana High Court's June 19 deadline for completing the long-delayed Tower of Justice at the Gurgaon district court complex. This marks the second time the department has missed a court-set target for the project.
Incomplete work despite final extension
During a hearing in May, the high court granted the state government a final extension and directed completion by June 19. However, a site inspection reveals substantial work remains unfinished. Stone cladding is still underway on several floors, washrooms are incomplete, lifts have not been installed, and parking area construction is ongoing. Horticulture and landscaping are at an initial stage, CCTV systems and electrical infrastructure remain pending, and significant interior woodwork is still under execution. While some courtrooms are nearing completion, nearly all critical components for a functioning judicial complex are unfinished.
PWD has set a revised internal target of June 30, but officials privately acknowledge that even this appears difficult. “Considering the amount of work still pending, it may take another two to three months to complete the entire project,” said an official engaged with the construction. According to officials, nearly 80% of civil work has been completed.
Court monitoring and penalties
On Saturday, a team from the district attorney’s office visited the site to assess progress and evaluate the likely timeline. In response to court pressure and following a fire at the district court complex in May—which severely disrupted judicial functioning and forced several courts to temporarily shift to the PWD rest house—the department has deployed additional manpower from adjoining districts to accelerate work. “We are putting all our efforts into completing the work as early as possible,” a PWD official said.
The high court has been closely monitoring the project for repeated delays. In April, it termed the prolonged wait a case of “administrative inefficiency,” issued notices to the Haryana government, and fixed May 15 as the completion deadline, warning that failure could invite action against senior state officials including the chief secretary. The government sought and received a further extension to June 19. The court has already imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on PWD for failing to adhere to earlier timelines.
Project scope and history of delays
The Tower of Justice has been envisioned as a modern judicial complex to address Gurgaon’s growing demand for court infrastructure. Spread over seven acres, the facility comprises two blocks of eight and seven floors and is designed to accommodate 55 district and sessions courts. Currently, Gurgaon has 45 courts handling nearly 65,000 pending cases. Judicial officers and lawyers have long argued that additional courtrooms and modern infrastructure are essential for improving the efficiency of the justice delivery system.
The project has a history of both delays and cost escalation. Its estimated cost has risen from Rs 113 crore to nearly Rs 295 crore. Though the foundation stone was laid in 2014, construction stalled for years over a land transfer dispute with the agriculture department, and was formally inaugurated only in January 2017. Originally scheduled for completion by 2020, the Tower of Justice—nearly nine years into construction—remains a work in progress, with no firm date yet in sight.
