Mumbai: The judiciary is witnessing a demographic shift with more women joining the profession as not just lawyers but also judges, hence we must ensure that they have a safe work environment, said the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday. CJI was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Bombay High Court complex at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

“Judiciary is witnessing a demographic shift. More women are entering the judiciary not just as lawyers but also as judges. They have special needs which have to be looked after to ensure safe and inclusive work space. They don’t expect concessions but expect a safe working space,” CJI said.

The Maharashtra government has allotted 30.16 acres of land for the new high court complex at BKC which will have spacious courtrooms, judges’ chambers, and facilities for arbitration and mediation. Plans include amenities for staff, lawyers and litigants, such as banking services, medical facilities, a digitisation centre, day care centre, a cafeteria, waiting areas for litigants and a multi-storey parking lot, designed with accessibility in mind. The first phase involves the transfer of 4.39 acres.

Over the years, the litigation has increased many fold and the existing Gothic structure at Fort in South Mumbai is insufficient to take the excess work, considering it was built over 160 years ago to house 15 judges.

The new building will be state of the art with modern facilities keeping in mind the digitisation and accessibility for all, including differently abled, children and elderly.

CJI also inaugurated the e-Seva Kendra for all the district and taluka courts to make justice easily accessible for all. “The need of the hour is digitisation and paperless courts. The changed definition of justice – justice at doorstep – will be a reality for everyone,” CJI said.

Reminiscing about the memories about the “hallowed corridors” of the HC building, CJI said that architectural marvel that has mentored him all is “replete with stories and hidden with gems”, with carvings of monkey-faced judges and fox-faced lawyers. “These are something more than visual imagery. The symbol behind these is that in the hands of wise women and men, law can be wheels of justice. But in the hands of incompetent, law can become an instrument of arbitrariness and oppressiveness,” CJI said.

“But we can’t deny that the old cherished friend is yielding of time. For the Romantics and nostalgics, it is not going away but will remain here for us to cherish,” CJI added. Some stones from the HC building will be used in the new complex to carry forward its rich legacy.

He emphasised that the priority must be to expedite the construction of new buildings and at the same time ensure safety of the existing structure till then.

Concluding his speech, the CJI quoted a few lines from the song of movie ‘DIl Chahata Hai’. “I will conclude with an ode. The song ‘koi kahe kehta rahe… hum hai naye oar andaz hai purana’ resonates deeply as we embark on a new journey. We will carry forward the ideas and legacy while embracing innovation and progress,” he said.

Justice Abhay Oka of the Supreme Court, who hails from Maharashtra, flagged poor working conditions of HC staff that are working within the space constraints. “HC staff working in the most inhuman condition. No work can be properly done by basking in the past glory,” Justice Oka said while welcoming the speedy steps by the government for the new HC complex. He added that the existing building must remain with the high court administration and must be converted into a museum.

Hoping that the new complex is constructed expeditiously, HC Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya said: “With cooperation of all the stakeholders, the new building will be a signature project, where wheels of justice will move speedily. Justice will not only be served, but will seem to have been served. It will be a matter of prestige and reputation of the state and judiciary.”

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured that everything possible will be done to ensure that the new complex comes up in a “record time”. The discussions have been going on for the new complex for 7-8 years. Although the judges were willing to shift to BKC, lawyers were opposing the proposal. “Our judges were ready but our lawyers were not ready. But since the Coastal Road is ready, no one says no. All lawyers agreed and so now no one is opposing,"Fadnavis added.