Kochi: The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a new High Court building and Judicial City in Kalamassery, a suburb of Ernakulam, marking a major step towards modernising the state’s judicial infrastructure.
The state government plans to acquire 27 acres of HMT-owned land for the project, which is estimated to cost over Rs 1,000 crore, Kerala Minister for Industries, Coir, and Law P. Rajeev announced on his official Facebook page.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has prepared a preliminary blueprint for the Judicial City, which will feature three multi-storeyed towers spanning over 12 lakh square feet. The complex will house 61 court halls, the registrar’s office, an auditorium, administrative and library blocks, an arbitration centre, recruitment cell, information centre, the Advocate General’s office, and chambers for advocates. Additional plans include parking facilities and rainwater harvesting systems.
The Cabinet’s approval follows discussions held during the annual Chief Minister–Chief Justice meeting in 2023. A delegation led by then Kerala High Court Chief Justice A.J. Desai, along with Justices Mohammed Mushtaq, Bechu Kurian Thomas, Raja Vijayaraghavan, and Satheesh Ninan, visited the HMT-owned site in Kalamassery, which was deemed ideal due to its connectivity. Kalamassery is well-linked to several national highways, the Seaport-Airport Road, and the Kochi Metro Rail, and also happens to be Minister Rajeev’s constituency.
The decision addresses longstanding concerns about the current High Court building in central Kochi, which faces issues such as severe waterlogging, limited parking, and proximity to the ecologically sensitive Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary.
However, the proposal has faced strong opposition from the Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA), which has repeatedly expressed concerns over relocating the High Court away from Kochi city.
The Home Department has been directed to initiate project implementation, which is expected to redefine judicial infrastructure in Kerala while addressing the space and environmental challenges of the existing High Court building.
With IANS inputs