6 months on, new HC complex work yet to start as design awaits final nod

Construction of the ₹4,217 crore Bombay High Court complex in Bandra East is delayed due to pending design approval, with objections raised over its colonial style.

Mumbai: Six months after former chief justice of India BR Gavai laid the foundation stone for the new ₹4,217 crore Bombay High Court complex in Bandra East, construction is yet to begin, as final approval for the building’s design remains pending, officials familiar with the matter said. A decision is expected after the court reopens following its summer vacation.

6 months on, new HC complex work yet to start as design awaits final nod

“There were objections over the design of the new building, so a high court committee is looking into the matter,” said an official from the Maharashtra government’s public works department (PWD), which is in charge of the construction. “Once we receive the approved design, the work will start.”

The Maharashtra cabinet had cleared the project in late 2025. The proposed complex, with space for 75 modern courtrooms, will come up on a 30-acre plot in Bandra East. The design, selected through a PWD-led competition, was submitted by architect Hafeez Contractor and approved by the high court’s steering committee. It featured a blend of classical and neo-classical architectural styles, with a four-storey main building with a semi-circular facade, a 70-metre central dome, and a 50-metre Ashoka pillar.

However, the design drew criticism within weeks of the foundation stone-laying ceremony in November 2025. Former judge Gautam Patel called it “colonial” in character. “The building is reflective of some colonial mindset from the look of it. It is meant to intimidate. It has not even a token nod to Mumbai’s architectural styles. It is entirely inappropriate, and it has nothing in it that reflects either the city or the old high court building,” he said.

A senior high court official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the project is still at the planning stage. “The requirements and design of the new building are being considered. It’s like when you design a house, you assess your requirements, and then they are incorporated into the architectural design. It is currently at that stage. A decision in this regard may come after the court reopens after vacation,” said the official.

The new complex has been necessitated by severe space constraints at the high court’s Fort building, a Gothic-style structure built in 1878. Originally designed for 15 judges and seven courtrooms, it now houses 29 courts and 35 judges, with several benches operating from makeshift spaces. The high court’s sanctioned strength has risen to 94 judges, making a larger, modern complex an urgent requirement.