The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday directed the immediate relocation of the Gurugram District Court to its newly constructed judicial complex, the 'Tower of Justice', observing that continued functioning from a temporary guest house after a recent fire at the old court complex was severely disrupting judicial work.

A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor passed the order while hearing a suo motu case initiated earlier this year to monitor the prolonged delay in completion of the new judicial complex.

The Court noted that the fire at the existing district court premises had rendered the building unusable, forcing courts to function from a guest house where only urgent matters were being heard.

"After the fire incident, the Court has been shifted to a guest house from where it is presently operating. It is quite obvious that the regular functioning of the Court has been severely hampered, and only urgent matters are being attended to. This situation calls for immediate intervention," the Bench observed.

Holding that the prevailing circumstances demanded urgent action, the Court ruled that the relocation could not be delayed any further.

"Considering the peculiar facts prevailing at the District Judgeship, Gurugram, where the judicial work is severely curtailed, we are of the view that the shifting of the District Judgeship, Gurugram to the New Judicial Courts Complex, Gurugram (Tower of Justice) at Gurugram is inevitable in the predominant public interest," it said.

Accordingly, the Bench permitted the State authorities to shift the courts to the new complex immediately, even though statutory approvals from the Fire Department and the Pollution Control Board are still awaited. It directed that the pending clearances and the formal inauguration of the complex be completed simultaneously.

"We permit the State authorities to ensure that the shifting of the Court Complex is carried out forthwith, awaiting formal statutory approvals from the Pollution Control Board and the Fire Department and that the formal inauguration, etc., of the complex (Tower of Justice) be proceeded with," the order stated.

The new judicial complex is scheduled to be inaugurated on July 12, with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expected to attend as the Chief Guest.

Delays and Inspection

The project was announced by the Haryana government in 2017 with an estimated cost of ₹133 crore and was originally slated for completion by October 2020. Spread across seven acres, the complex was envisioned as North India's largest judicial complex, housing 55 courtrooms along with modern facilities including mediation rooms, a bar library, bank, post office, canteen, conference halls, multi-level parking and disabled-friendly infrastructure.

However, repeated delays prompted the High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter on April 29, 2026.

Following the recent fire that destroyed court records and damaged a substantial portion of the old court building, the District Judgeship shifted to a makeshift facility at a guest house.

Although the Haryana Public Works Department informed the Court on July 1 that the new building was fully complete and ready for occupation, the High Court directed the District and Sessions Judge, Gurugram, to inspect the premises.

The inspection report revealed several deficiencies, including unfinished interior and exterior works and the absence of essential court furniture. Heavy rainfall on July 7 further exposed infrastructural issues after the basement of the newly constructed complex was flooded due to a sewerage system failure. The report also pointed out that mandatory fire safety and environmental clearances were yet to be obtained.

State's Assurance

During the hearing, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Haryana PWD appeared before the Court and assured the Bench through an affidavit that all deficiencies would be rectified immediately. The official also stated that applications for the required statutory approvals had already been submitted and the clearances were expected within a couple of days.

Taking note of these assurances, the Court observed that while it would ordinarily have insisted on obtaining all mandatory approvals before permitting occupation, the present situation warranted immediate relocation in the larger public interest.

"Ordinarily, we may have waited for all such steps to be taken, but as we find that the judicial work in the District Court Complex is severely curtailed, any further delay in the shifting of the Court would be prejudicial to the public at large," the Bench observed.

The High Court has directed the State to file a detailed compliance report regarding the shifting process and the status of statutory approvals.

Next date of hearing: July 21, 2026.