HC revives PIL on Rs. 922-crore Raika High Court complex, seeks status report

18/08/2026

JAMMU, Aug 17: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has revived a Public Interest Litigation concerning the proposed Rs. 922-crore High Court Complex at Raika here and directed the authorities to file a status report on the steps taken towards its construction.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Rajnesh Oswal and Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani passed the directions while allowing an application filed by petitioner Arjun Gandotra seeking recall of the earlier order dated February 6, 2026, by which the PIL had been closed.
The Bench restored WP(C) PIL No. 13/2025 to its original number after the petitioner submitted that despite the passage of six months, there was no visible construction or preparatory activity at the proposed site.
Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, assisted by Advocate Navyug Sethi, submitted that the earlier proceedings had been closed after the Court was informed that substantial progress had been made in formulating the proposal for construction of the new Jammu Wing of the High Court at Raika.
The petitioner, however, submitted that the subsequent ground position did not indicate visible progress.
Taking note of the submissions, the Bench observed that a prima facie case for issuance of notice had been made out and accordingly issued notice to the respondents.
Advocate Sagira Jaffar waived notice on behalf of respondent Nos. 1, 3 and 4, while CGSC Karan Sharma waived notice for respondent Nos. 2, 5, 6 and 7. Advocate Basit Manzoor Keng waived notice on behalf of respondent No. 8.
The High Court directed the respondents to file a status report detailing the steps taken for construction of the proposed High Court Complex at Raika by the next date of hearing. The matter has been listed for August 29.
According to the PIL, the Detailed Project Report for the proposed complex was prepared and forwarded on November 18, 2022, with an estimated cost of Rs. 922 crore. It stated that a meeting held on March 1, 2023 between the Chief Justice and the Chief Secretary of J&K had decided to expedite administrative approval and release of funds for the project.
The foundation stone of the project was laid on June 28, 2023 by then Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud in the presence of the Lieutenant Governors, Supreme Court judges and High Court judges.
The petition has highlighted infrastructure-related constraints at the existing High Court complex at Janipur, including limited access, traffic congestion, inadequate parking and concerns relating to fire safety, security, structural requirements and accessibility. It has also pointed out that the High Court and District Court share the same campus, leaving limited scope for future expansion.
The proposed Raika complex, according to the petition, is planned as an eco-friendly judicial campus spread over approximately 40 hectares of Raika-Bahu forest land.
The PIL further states that initial administrative approval was accorded for fencing work at an estimated cost of Rs. 71.60 lakh, against which Rs. 56 lakh was released, while substantive construction had not commenced as per the position placed before the Court.
On the environmental aspect, the petition refers to proceedings before the National Green Tribunal concerning the use of forest land for the project and states that, after considering the Forest Department's report, the NGT disposed of the matter in January 2020.
The petitioner has sought directions for release and allocation of the full project cost, filing of comprehensive action-taken reports, disclosure of relevant project documents and fixation of timelines for commencement and completion of the construction.
With the revival of the PIL and the direction for a status report, the progress of the proposed Raika High Court Complex will now come up for further consideration before the High Court on August 29.

Photo Gallery

BSE Sensex

NSE Nifty