Kerala High Court Advocates' Association passes resolution supporting procurement of 17.73 acres for HC expansion

The Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA) has resolved to support the cause of procuring 17.73 land adjacent to the current High Court building for the expansion of the current High Court complex. .A notice issued by the KHCAA on Friday confirmed that the General Body passed a unanimous resolution to take immediate steps to support the cause of procuring the land that is currently owned by the Kerala Housing Board. It was also decided at a meeting held on Monday to constitute a sub-committee to support the Executive Committee of the KHCAA to take steps towards the cause. The members of the sub-committee are Senior Advocate NN Sugunapalan and advocates Thomas Abraham, Babu Paul, Krishnadas P Nair, PK Santhamma and CB Sreekumar..The move comes in the wake of the address delivered by Justice Alexander Thomas on the occasion of his retirement in which he called on the legal community to unite and urge the State government to allot the land in question to the High Court. The High Court building has long been subject to criticism from all quarters for being inadequate in terms of infrastructure to accommodate it's ever growing needs. State PWD officials have ruled out vertical expansion of the structure as well.Last year there were reports of a proposal to shift the High Court to the suburb of Kalamassery. .In his farewell address delivered at a full court reference held in his honour Justice Thomas said that the best remaining option is for the High Court to be allotted the 17.73 acres of land that is next to the current building. The concerns regarding it being too close to the Mangalavanam bird sanctuary have also now been addressed, he said. "The demand of the High Court for the above mentioned land of the High Court is fully justified and there is no suitable other vacant land in the proximity of the High Court," he opined.Justice Thomas said that in his time as Acting Chief Justice, he had written a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging him to ensure that 17.73 acres near the Mangalavanam area is allotted to the High Court for its immediate development requirements.He added that on August 19, Chief Justice AJ Desai, him and Justice A Muhamed Mustaque had inspected the land..The shifting legacy of the Kerala High Court - Part I.[Read Notice]