"Six Months On, No Visible Progress": J&K&L High Court Revives PIL On ₹922 Crore Raika High Court Complex
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, Jammu, after the petitioner pointed out that six months after an assurance of "substantial progress", there was neither construction nor even preparatory work visible on the ground. The Court directed the respondents to file a status report detailing the steps taken for construction of the complex.
The Court was hearing an application seeking recall of order and revival of Public Interest Litigation filed by Advocate Arjun Gandotra, for commanding the respondents to release and allocate the full amount of Rs 922 crore for the construction of the High Court Complex at Raika within three months.
A Division Bench of Justice Rajnesh Oswal and Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani, while allowing the application, observed that a prima facie case for issuance of notice was made out and directed the respondents to file a status report by the next date of hearing.
The Court observed
"For the reasons set out in the application, duly supported with an affidavit, coupled with the submissions made by Mr. Sunil Sethi, learned Senior Counsel for the petitioner/applicant, the same is allowed and the order dated 06.02.2026 is recalled and the main writ petition is revived to its original number."
Background:
The PIL, filed by Advocate Arjun Gandotra, seeks directions for release and allocation of the entire Rs 922 crore for construction of the Raika complex within three months, besides a comprehensive action-taken report setting out the steps taken and timelines for implementing the project.
The Detailed Project Report for the proposed complex was prepared and forwarded on November 18, 2022, with an estimated cost of Rs 922 crore. 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 Dr 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. The High Court and District Court share the same campus, leaving limited scope for future expansion. The proposed Raika complex is planned as an eco-friendly judicial campus spread over approximately 40 hectares of Raika-Bahu forest land.
Earlier, the same PIL was disposed of by the High Court on February 6, 2026, after the Division Bench was informed that "substantial progress" had been made in formulating the proposal for construction of a new building for the Jammu Wing of the High Court.
At that stage, counsel appearing for the respondent submitted that the High Court was in continuous deliberations with the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir as well as the Union Territory of Ladakh over construction of the new building and that no fruitful purpose would be served by retaining the petition on board.
The Bench had concluded that there was no fruitful purpose in keeping the PIL pending, while recording its expectation that the deliberations would yield fruitful results within few months. The petitioner was granted liberty to seek revival of the PIL if those efforts failed to fructify into concrete results.
Court's Observation:
Considering the revival application the High Court took note of the petitioner's submission that more than six months had elapsed since the claims about "substantial progress" but there was still no visible progress on the ground.
Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that initially the proceedings were closed after the Court took notice of submissions that "substantial progress" was made in formulation of proposal for construction of new building of Jammu Wing of the High Court at Raika, but despite lapse of six months, there is no visible progress on the ground.
The Court found a prima facie case for issuance of notice and directed the respondents to explain what steps have actually been taken towards construction of the Raika complex. The matter has been listed for August 29, 2026.
"The respondents shall file status report with regard to steps taken by them for raising construction of High Court Complex at Raika by the next date of hearing.", the court concluded.
Case Title: Arjun Gandotra v. UT of J&K and Others
Appearances
Petitioner: Mr. Sunil Sethi, Senior Advocate
Respondents: Ms. Sagira Jaffar, Advocate; Mr. Karan Sharma, CGSC; Mr. Basit Manzoor Keng, Advocate