The members of the Bar Association, however, say they may not oblige the UD Ministry. Association Secretary D.K. Sharma told The Indian Express that details of the current allotment have previously been submitted to the government and that they would not give up their demand for an additional 20 acres that’s needed for the construction of additional lawyers chambers, consultation rooms, a library, a new parking lot and crèche.

“We have already submitted a proposal for the construction of these facilities in a new High Court campus proposed to be built in the Kaka Nagar area. The existing government bungalows located in the land can be demolished in batches specially since they are crumbling anyways. The first block earmarked by us has 18 bungalows,” said the DHCBA secretary.

The bunch of petitions filed in the case reveal that the Delhi High Court had also recently demanded 7 additional acres for a new record room (with a capacity for 20 lakh files) but this too had been frowned upon by the UD Ministry. Things came to a head when yet another demand for an acre was made, this time, for construction of an electric sub-station in Bapa Nagar. This matter has apparently been resolved with the UD Ministry recommending that the sub-station be located in the extra 2.8 acres given to the High Court.

In an affidavit filed on behalf of the UD Ministry, the Land and Development Officer has been informing the High Court that it “might not be possible to allot residential plots for requirements of the Delhi High Court, keeping in view the requirement of space for increased court activities, the possibility of providing other alternative institutional plots shall be examined.”

... contd.