The Kerala government has approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to take possession of 27 acres of land currently held by Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) at Kalamassery for the proposed Judicial City, which is intended to house the Kerala High Court’s judicial wing and related facilities.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, issued notice to HMT and other respondents on the State’s application.

Kerala has requested that it be allowed to take over the land on the condition that compensation—calculated as per the 2014 Basic Valuation Report—be deposited as an FDR in the name of the High Court Registrar General in a nationalised bank. The payment to HMT would remain subject to the final outcome of the pending appeal.

The application arises from a long-standing civil appeal against a 2014 Kerala High Court judgment, which held that the land originally allotted to HMT could not be subjected to ceiling proceedings under the Kerala Land Reforms Act. The Supreme Court issued notice in 2016 and ordered the status quo, which continues.

The State now seeks modification of the 2016 interim order, citing earlier relaxations granted in 2024 and 2025, when the Court allowed portions of HMT land to be utilised for the Seaport–Airport Road and a KINFRA Hi-Tech Park on similar terms.

According to the plea, the existing 11-acre High Court complex in Kochi is critically congested, lacking adequate court halls, chambers, administrative offices, parking and scope for expansion. The High Court is projected to require around 30 lakh sq ft of built-up space in the coming years.

A High-Power Committee of six judges, formed in early 2024, has been examining relocation options. The Chief Minister has given in-principle approval for at least 50 acres for the Judicial City, although only 27 acres currently remain with HMT. Inspections have indicated that the project may ultimately require around 75 acres, with initial development possible on the available land.

The Kalamassery property—part of a 900-acre land bank acquired in the 1960s for a machine tool factory—has seen several transfers over the decades, including parcels handed to the Naval Armament Depot, KSEB and private developers. After multiple attempts by the State to resume land, litigation culminated in the 2014 judgment. Of the 100 acres retained by HMT after a 2000 notification, 70 acres were sold to a private real estate firm and 3 acres were given to the NIA, leaving the present 27 acres.

Kerala argues that continuing the status quo would cause irreparable hardship and delay an essential public infrastructure project intended to address long-term judicial needs.
(With LiveLaw inputs)