Even as the long-pending project for construction of the new High Court Complex at Raika awaits visible progress on the ground, a fresh issue of alleged encroachment has come to the fore, prompting the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh to order physical verification of the entire land handed over to it for the proposed complex.
The Division Bench comprising Justice Rajnesh Oswal and Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani has directed the Registrar Judicial, Jammu Wing, to personally visit the site along with the Deputy Commissioner and ascertain whether any portion of the 813 kanals and 13 marlas of land handed over to the High Court has been encroached upon.
The Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, has been directed to extend all possible assistance to the Registrar Judicial so that a status report on the ground position is placed before the court by the next date of hearing.
The latest development has added another layer to the continuing litigation over construction of the High Court Complex at Raika, with the court already having revived the Public Interest Litigation after the petitioner pointed out that six months after the earlier proceedings were closed, neither construction activity nor even preparatory work was visible at the site.
When the PIL came up for hearing two days back, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, appearing for the petitioner, informed the Division Bench that although possession of 813 kanals and 13 marlas had been handed over to the High Court, information had been received that some encroachments had subsequently been made over the land.
The DB has not recorded a finding that the land has actually been encroached upon. Instead, it has ordered an on-ground verification to determine whether any part of the land handed over to the court has been encroached by anyone.
The Registrar Judicial, Jammu Wing, has therefore been tasked with personally visiting the site along with the Deputy Commissioner concerned and submitting a factual status report.
This direction assumes significance because the court is simultaneously monitoring the progress of the proposed High Court Complex, for which the PIL seeks allocation of Rs 922 crore and a defined implementation roadmap.
The Bench recorded that a status report had already been filed on behalf of respondent No. 8 and observed that there was hardly any justification for granting further time to respondents to file their response. However, in the interests of justice, the court granted them one more opportunity, making it clear that failure to respond would invite appropriate orders.
The matter has now been listed for October 16, 2026
The litigation had earlier been closed by the High Court on February 6, 2026, after taking note of submissions that substantial progress had been made in formulation of the proposal for construction of the new Jammu Wing of the High Court at Raika.
However, the petitioner subsequently approached the court seeking recall of the February 6 order and revival of the PIL, specifically contending that despite the passage of six months, there was no visible progress on the ground.
In its August 14 order, the Division Bench allowed the application, recalled the earlier order and revived the main writ petition to its original number. The court, after reviving the petition, directed the respondents to file a status report detailing the steps taken for raising construction of the High Court Complex at Raika.
The PIL seeks directions to the authorities for release and allocation of the full amount of Rs 922 crore for construction of the High Court Complex at Raika within three months. It also seeks comprehensive action taken reports from the concerned authorities regarding the steps undertaken and timelines fixed for implementation of the project.