HC judge reviews restoration of records after Gurugram District Court fire

Preliminary assessments suggest a substantial portion of old lower court records suffered severe damage.

Punjab and Haryana High Court’s inspecting judge for Gurugram, Justice Ashwini Kumar Mishra, conducted a late-evening inspection of the District and Sessions Court Complex in Gurugram on Sunday after a massive fire broke out in the court record room, damaging large volumes of judicial records and disrupting the functioning of several courts.

Authorities said nearly 21 courts have been temporarily shifted to the PWD Rest House after the blaze. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Justice Mishra visited the affected building along with District and Sessions Judge Narender Sura and other judicial and administrative officers while firefighting operations were still underway. Officials said the judge reviewed the situation despite the fire not being fully extinguished and sought details regarding the extent of damage and restoration efforts while ensuring safety protocols were followed.

During the inspection, Justice Mishra directed judicial officers to begin reconstruction of damaged files and records at the earliest to minimise disruption to judicial work.

“The High Court will extend full cooperation in the reconstruction of affected records so that judicial functioning continues smoothly,” officials quoted Justice Mishra as saying during the review.

He also observed that delivery of judgements in certain cases could face delays because of destruction of records but said affected files would be reconstructed in a phased manner.

Earlier in the evening, Justice Mishra chaired a high-level review meeting at the PWD Rest House with senior judicial and administrative officials to assess the damage and discuss temporary arrangements for continuation of court proceedings.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh, Police Commissioner Shibas Kabiraj, District and Sessions Judge Narender Sura, Additional District and Sessions Judge Yashwinder Paul Singh, Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajat Verma, Gurugram Bar Association president Chandrakant Sharma, general secretary Rahul Dhankhar and other senior officials.

Officials said a preliminary assessment of the damage caused by the fire was carried out during the meeting, and directions were issued to ensure restoration and continuity of judicial work.

District and Sessions Judge Narender Sura said a final assessment of the damage could not yet be carried out because of extremely high temperatures inside the structure and pending structural safety evaluation.

“Entry into parts of the building is presently unsafe. Detailed inspection and actual assessment of the damage will be conducted only after reports from NDRF, SDRF and technical agencies are received,” Sura said.

According to preliminary information, a substantial portion of records stored in the old lower court record room is believed to have been severely damaged in the fire. Officials added that the exact impact on pending case files would become clear only after technical teams permit entry into the building.

Authorities said nearly 21 courts functioning from the old building have now been shifted to the PWD Rest House as an interim arrangement.

Officials added that chief minister Nayab Singh Saini has directed the administration to ensure all logistical and infrastructure support for uninterrupted judicial functioning. Special emphasis is being placed on urgent and essential hearings to avoid inconvenience to litigants, officials said.

The Gurugram Bar Association also assured cooperation in reconstruction of damaged records and restoration of court functioning.

“The situation is challenging, but judicial work is continuing with coordination between the judiciary, administration and advocates. People should not panic as urgent hearings are continuing without interruption,” Chandrakant Sharma and Rahul Dhankhar said.