Jurists, minister inspect land for proposed Kalamassery Judicial City

Kochi: An official delegation including senior jurists and a state minister on Saturday inspected the land identified for building the proposed judicial city which includes a new high court complex at Kalamassery, some 20 km from the city.

Law Minister P Rajeeve, High Court Justices Muhammed Mushtaq, Bechu Kurien Thomas, Raja Vijayaraghavan and Sathish Ninan led the official delegation. They visited a 50-acre plot owned by HMT, a manufacturing company under the control of the Ministry of Heavy Industries. It includes a 23-acre plot identified earlier and another 27 acres adjacent to it. Besides, they inspected another plot along HMT Road too.

"As much as 27 acres of land belongs to HMT and the company has the full right to sell it. For the remaining land, permission from the central government will have to be sought," Minister Rajeeve said after the land inspection. He said further decisions will be taken after follow-up discussions. District Collector NSK Umesh and other officials were also part of the delegation. 

The decision to establish a 28 lakh-square-foot judicial city, featuring 60 courts, a judicial academy, a mediation centre, and other modern institutions with international standards was made in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and High Court Chief Justice Ashish Jitendra Desai at a meeting here earlier this month.

The new complex is expected to resolve the space limitations of the current high court building, with facilities for judges' offices, advocate generals' offices, staff quarters, lawyers' chambers, and ample parking.

The plan, initially proposed by the HC due to spatial constraints at the existing complex, was agreed upon during the annual meeting between the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice on November 9, 2023. The challenges associated with acquiring additional land near the current high court for accommodations prompted the decision to establish Kalamassery as the ideal location for the judicial city, given its accessibility, travel conveniences, and strategic importance.