NCLT office shuts courts on ‘unsafe’ 8th floor

The decision was taken after water began dripping on the heads of judicial and technical members in courtroom 4, following heavy rains.

Persistent rainfall and subsequent waterlogging over the past two days in Delhi has led to infrastructure damage to the premises of the principal bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), located on the eighth floor of the CGO Complex on Lodhi Road, rendering the entire floor unsafe for use due to heavy seepage and water leakage.

The NCLT oversees commercial disputes worth hundreds of crores every day.

The NCLT oversees commercial disputes worth hundreds of crores every day. However, in a communication on September 3, the NCLT registrar issued a notice informing litigants, lawyers and other stakeholders about the damage. Three of the tribunal’s six courtrooms are located on the eighth floor and its closure will see the benches share the remaining three courtrooms on the sixth and seventh floors, with half-day hearings.

The decision was taken after water began dripping on the heads of judicial and technical members in courtroom 4, following heavy rains. The public notice said that courtrooms 5 and 6, in particular, had become “structurally unsafe” as persistent seepage had severely damaged the false ceiling, creating risks of collapse, electrical short-circuiting, and fire hazards.

It further said that a Central Public Works Department inspection confirmed the rooms are unfit for use until repairs and restoration are completed, with the safety of the Tribunal members, staff, lawyers, and litigants at serious risk.

“It is hereby informed to all the learned Advocates, Litigants, and Stakeholders that Court Rooms No. V and VI of the National Company Law Tribunal, New Delhi has become structurally unsafe on account of persistent seepage from the roof. The continuous leakage has caused serious deterioration of the false ceiling, creating an imminent risk of collapse, short- circuiting of electrical fittings, and consequent fire hazards. The situation poses a grave risk to the safety of the Hon’ble Members, Officers of the Registry, learned Advocates, Litigants, and all others present in the Court Rooms,” the notice reads.

Stakeholders say these recurring disruptions underscore the chronic infrastructure gaps plaguing one of the country’s most crucial tribunals.

“With the eighth floor now declared uninhabitable, hearings in all court halls at the principal bench will be truncated, with no court able to sit for a full day. This comes at a time when cases worth lakhs of crores are already pending across all NCLT benches. The situation exposes the dismal state of infrastructure at the Tribunal, especially when a glance at the IBBI website shows the sheer volume of matters being filed and the massive backlog awaiting resolution,” said senior advocate Sunil Fernandes.