A prominent landmark of the Capital, Patiala House District Courts housed in the erstwhile palace of the Maharaja of Patiala near India Gate, is all set to be shifted to Rouse Avenue, Deen Dayal Upadhayay Marg, an area suited for judges and litigants.
Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved a proposal for construction of New Delhi District Courts Complex at Rouse Avenue, Deen Dayal Upadhayay Marg. The Delhi Government has earmarked five acres for this purpose and as per plan, the new court premises will have double basement parking over eight floors and will be built at a cost of `306 crore.
The building of the new court premises will be completed within 57 months after award of the contract. The Pioneer had earlier featured an article on July 19 stating the Delhi Government had decided to construct new court premises to shift Patiala House District Court near the Comptroller and Auditor General of India building at Rouse Avenue, Deen Dayal Upadhayay Marg.
Top sources informed that the site at Rouse Avenue, near DDU Marg, measuring five acres, seemed more suitable for the purpose of shifting the District Courts from the existing court complex at Patiala House. The project will be monitored by Delhi High Court, including construction of the building and shifting of the Court.
According to Cabinet proposal, the new Court, which will be a green building, will have 41 courts and a built-up area of 7.5 lakh sq. feet. Along with an automated security system, it will have an auditorium for 200 people and separate movement for judges, lawyers, litigants and convicts designed and segregated.
According to the proposal, approval from the Fire Department, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC), land and Building Department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been taken.
Back in 1977, due to space constraints and case files piled high at the two courts at Parliament Street and Shahdara Courts, it was decided that Delhi needed another District Court. This Court was set up in a palace built for the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala and, therefore, christened the Patiala House Courts.
However, there are only 800 chambers for over 4,500 lawyers in the Patiala House Courts. There are about 50 courts and over 1,00,000 pending cases. The Court complex consists of 30 courtrooms and it has only two restrooms that cater to litigants, lawyers and others.
Earlier, the Ministry of Urban Development had short-listed two sites at Netaji Nagar and Rouse Avenue for construction of the new Court premises.
Of these, the site at Rouse Avenue was found most suitable for the project. Referring to the plight of litigants, lawyers and their staff at the Patiala House Court, Delhi Bar Council (DBC) secretary Murari Tiwari said the Government is “under obligation” to provide necessary infrastructure and facilities to all those part of the legal system.
Patiala House was designed by Sir Edwin lutyens. The building has a central dome with a butterfly layout, similar to other buildings designed by the famous British architect.
The Patiala House Court Complex is built on an area measuring 31,872 sq. metre. The whole complex is divided into five parts that includes the Main Building, Publication Building, Annexe Building, lock-Up Building and MEA Building. Delhi High Court was run from here earlier till 1978.
In March 1997, Patiala House was converted to become one of three Court complexes, after criminal courts from Parliament Street were shifted here.
