The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that two government residences in Malerkotla be vacated. The Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police currently occupy them. These properties will now be allotted to the District and Sessions Judge. One may also serve as a courtroom if required.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry issued the order. The judges said Punjab failed to provide permanent courtrooms and housing for judicial officers. Malerkotla became a revenue district in June 2021, and a Sessions Division was created in August 2023. Yet, infrastructure remains inadequate.
The order came after petitions from the District Bar Association, Malerkotla. Advocates Gaurav Vir Singh Behl, Raageshwari Sharma, and Jugraj Singh Chauhan represented the case. The Bench cited the building committee’s view that, if the state failed to act within a year, existing residences should be reassigned.
The court stressed that no residential facilities matched the standards set under a 2014 notification. It also urged the committee to reconsider converting temporary courtrooms into permanent ones. The case will be heard again on September 30.
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