The Supreme Court on Friday granted the State of Maharashtra eight weeks to complete the preparation and approval of architectural plans for the proposed new Bombay High Court complex, while monitoring the progress of the project in a suo motu case initiated to address the acute shortage of judicial infrastructure and secure adequate accommodation for the Bombay High Court.
The proceedings arise from the Supreme Court’s suo motu exercise of jurisdiction, initiated to oversee the allotment of additional land and the construction of a new High Court complex in view of the pressing need for proper judicial infrastructure.
Appearing for the State of Maharashtra, Advocate General Milind Sathe informed the Bench that, pursuant to its previous order dated May 18, the Steering Committee met on July 23 and finalised the conceptual plans after considering the concerns of all stakeholders, including the Bar Associations and the Bar Council.
He submitted that the architect was presently preparing the architectural drawings, structural designs and construction plans, a process expected to take about eight weeks. Thereafter, the project would move to the tender stage, including pre-bid meetings and finalisation of bids, with the successful bidder likely to be selected by the end of December 2026.
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“The conceptual plans have been finalised on 23rd July… the drawings, the structural drawings, the architecture, the construction plans are under preparation by the architect and that whole process will take about eight weeks. After that there will be tender… By the end of December, the whole process of selection of bidder would be completed.”
On land acquisition, the Advocate General informed the Court that over 23 acres had already been handed over for the project, while the balance land could not be transferred because some government and High Court staff quarters were still occupied. He assured the Court that 2.45 acres would be handed over by August 31, with the remaining land to be made available by December 31, 2026.
He further apprised the Court that nearly 45 statutory approvals would be required for the project. While some applications had already been submitted, the remaining permissions would be sought once the plans were finalised.
Taking note of the timeline, the Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan observed that it would first monitor completion of the planning phase before proceeding further. The matter will now be taken up after eight weeks to review compliance with the timeline placed before the Court.