Jharkhand High Court Asks State To Explain 6 Yrs Delay In Constructing JHALSA Building

The Jharkhand High Court, while addressing multiple Public Interest Litigations (PILs) focused on the security of the High Court, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the prolonged delay in the construction of the Jharkhand Legal Service Authority (JHALSA) building, located near the High Court premises.

The Court highlighted there has been significant escalation in costs due to this delay, noting that the project, originally approved at Rs 48 crore in 2018, has now swelled to an estimated Rs 57 crore by 2024. During the hearing, the Court orally remarked on the timeline, highlighting that the construction of the JHALSA building has been pending for five years despite technical approval being granted in 2018.

The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar noted, “The aforesaid project initially was estimated to incur the cost of Rs. 48,90,20,000, for which the sanction has been granted but subsequently it was modified for technical approval for Rs. 57,19,71,700 in the year 2023.”

“It has been submitted that due to delay in approval of sanction of the project by the State Government, the cost from Rs. 48,90,20,000 has been escalated to the tune of Rs. 57,19,71,700 i.e., due to delay of five years for the approval by the State Government, as sixth year is running,” the bench further noted.

The Court also took note of the lack of separate common rooms and washrooms for female advocates and litigants, with the State Bar Council's Chairman, Rajendra Krishna, pointing out the lack of separate common rooms and washrooms for female advocates and litigants in Chatra Judgeship's Bar Bhawan.

it emphasised, “This Court, considering the aforesaid facts, is of view that the overall issues of common room/washrooms for the ladies advocates/litigants i.e. for male and female, separately, are required to be there in each and every Judgeship of the State of Jharkhand.”

Further, the Court instructed Anil Kumar, the Additional Solicitor General of India, to seek instructions regarding the allocation of funds specifically earmarked for the development of judicial infrastructure in Jharkhand.

The PILs under consideration originated from a suo moto action taken by the Jharkhand High Court following a serious security breach in September of the previous year. In the District Court of East Singhbhum at Jamshedpur, an intoxicated individual armed with a chopper managed to enter the court premises and inflicted serious injuries on a court staff member. The assailant was apprehended on the spot, and the injured staff member was promptly taken to the hospital for treatment. In response to this incident, the High Court convened a special sitting the next day, during which it initiated a suo moto PIL to address the critical security lapses highlighted by the attack.

Case Title: Court on its own motion Versus The State of Jharkhand & Ors.

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