Delhi High Court gets a new building to house Delhi International Arbitration Centre, more lawyers' chambers and judicial convention centre

The Delhi High Court got a new building and more space for functioning after its newly constructed 'S Block' was inaugurated by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Tuesday.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by several judges of the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, all the judges of the Delhi High Court, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The S block accommodates the Delhi International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) with 18 new arbitration rooms and huddle rooms, a Judicial Convention Centre with full court facility, a 285-seater Auditorium and 200 lawyers Chambers.

The building has common meeting rooms and shared facilities for lawyers, a lawyers cafeteria, administrative offices across 6 floors and 300 capacity parking facility across 3 basements.

It also has an annex which would function as a Visitor Centre cum Passes Section, ACP office and a Constabulary for 100 policemen.

The architecture of the building is in consonance with the Urban Context defined by the India Gate, the National Gallery of Modern Art Annex and the Akash Mess, all of which form a part of the same urban visual experience.

While the materiality of sand-blasted Dholpur stones and Agra stones give a common binding hue, the grand rectangular colonnade mounted on a high plinth of two floors presents a Stoic Stately character that is simultaneously modern and yet classic, said Public Works Department (PWD) architect Goonmeet S Chauhan.

The building has been built by the PWD through the guidance of Building Maintenance and Construction Committee (BMCC) of the Delhi High Court. The committee comprises Justices Manmohan, Rajiv Shakdher, Dinesh Sharma and Jasmeet Singh.

The BMCC has also approved a Skywalk which will connect all the buildings of the campus into a singular and safe movement system.