The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday permitted the immediate shifting of the Gurugram District Judgeship to the new judicial complex—the Tower of Justice—despite pending statutory approvals, observing that further delay would be prejudicial to the public interest. The Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor allowed the state authorities to proceed with the move while awaiting formal clearances from the Pollution Control Board and the Fire Department.
State declares complex complete
Additional Advocate-General for Haryana informed the court that the building was now "complete in all respect and all pending works have been completed." The Engineer-in-Chief (Buildings)-cum-HOD of Haryana PWD (B&R) appeared before the Bench and confirmed that any further shortcomings would be rectified without delay. The court noted that an affidavit had been filed stating compliance with all statutory norms and that an application for environmental clearance had been submitted.
The complex was originally scheduled to be finished by October 30, 2020. The court had taken suo motu cognizance of the inordinate delay on April 29, 2025, after repeated assurances from authorities failed to materialize. The matter remained pending, with time last extended till June 19, 2025.
Fire incident exacerbated crisis
A fire at the existing court complex destroyed a large part of court records and caused a substantial portion of the building to collapse. State authorities declared the entire existing building unfit for occupation, forcing courts to operate from a guest house where only urgent matters were being handled. "This has posed a serious threat to the functioning of the District Judgeship at Gurugram itself," the court observed.
The Bench noted that the regular functioning of the court had been severely hampered, with only urgent matters being attended to. "This situation calls for immediate intervention," the court stated, adding that the state was asked to expedite construction so that shifting could occur after summer vacations.
Inspections revealed incomplete work
On July 1, 2025, the Executive Engineer informed the court that the new building was complete and ready for handover, with formal inauguration proposed for July 12. However, a report from the Gurugram District and Sessions Judge, based on inspections on July 1 and 2, found that exterior and interior work remained incomplete at several places, furniture had not been supplied or installed, and the basement had been inundated due to sewerage backflow on July 7. Additionally, environmental clearance from the Pollution Control Board and fire department clearance were still awaited.
When confronted with this report, the state sought time to obtain instructions. On Thursday, the Engineer-in-Chief stated that all pending works had been completed and that fire officials had inspected the premises and found no shortcomings. He added that the fire certificate would be issued within a day or two, and that the building complied with all norms for environmental clearance, which was likely to be obtained shortly.
Court prioritizes public interest
"Ordinarily, we may have waited for all such steps to be taken, but as we find that the judicial work in the District Court Complex is severely curtailed, any further delay in the shifting of the Court would be prejudicial to the public at large," the Bench observed. The court directed that an affidavit reporting compliance be filed before the next hearing on July 21, 2025.
