Intervention to prevent Bombay High Court being shifted to Bandra-Kurla, which would “degrade the grandeur and decorum” -The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

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27 July 2016   

Bombay High Court (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)

Advocate Rajan Jayakar of the Bombay High Court, who is also a historian and collector has started a move to prevent the Bombay High Court from being shifted to Bandra.  Mr Jayakar is an authority on the history of various High Courts and Supreme Courts and works tirelessly at retrieving, preserving and restoring documents, artefacts and memorabilia about our courts. He is the go-to person for facts on Indian’s legal history. The Bombay High Court Museum, a curated space on the ground floor of the court building, is the brainchild of Mr Jayakar. He has also been involved in the restoration of courtrooms in the High Court. He has also curated the Bombay High Court exhibition in 1988 and 2012 on the occasion of 125 years and 150 years of the Bombay High Court. 

 

Mr Jayakar (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)

He had demanded better utilisation of space in the present building rather than shifting the Court to help continue the rich heritage that it stands for. In his plea, he had said, “For further expansion, it is necessary to find innovative ways in which more space could be created.” He had stated in the plea, “The reputation of the Bombay High Court as the leading High Court in the country is not only because of its extraordinary judges and lawyers, but also because of the grandeur of the building. By shifting the court to a newly constructed building, it will degrade the grandeur and the decorum and will give an appearance of a post-independence tribunal. It will be something like discarding the gown, bands and the black coat by the Judges and lawyers because someone feels that the said paraphernalia is not necessary." The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Making out the case for the current location, he had said that shifting of the High Court to a new location would virtually amount to uprooting the massive legal fraternity, which is settled in the present locations since the construction of the High Court Building in 1878. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions

Earlier, Advocate Ahmed Abdi had moved a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to shift the High Court to the suburbs citing the limitations of the present building. Mr Jayakar had intervened in this PIL. Sujata Manohar, former Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, also wrote an article on doing justice to the Bombay High Court. She argued that it was possible to protect the iconic building’s heritage and still cater to the needs of a modern High Court. The Court, has produced legal talents which have shaped the history of modern India right from freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi to scholars like Nani Palkhiwala. With the rich legacy of the High Court and the aura of justice permeating throughout the High Court, it is necessary to protect the heritage of the High Court. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions 

She argued that heritage buildings face a common problem that they are not large enough for today’s workload. She proposed a solution to this problem – to create an imaginative master plan by experts in the field to expand the High Court around its court building. She has also proposed the revival of the heritage committee constituted by an earlier Chief Justice, to preserve and plan for the future of the building. With respect to shifting the High Court, she said, “Assuming that a big tract of land and the huge finances that may be required are available, the ‘simplest’ thing anyone can suggest is shifting to a completely new location. This would meet the needs of space, but it cannot replace long built-up traditions and even the halo of working in the temples of justice. It means abandoning traditions, abandoning heritage.” The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions