The Supreme Court adjourned a petition asking the Ministry of Urban Development to direct the conversion of 1.33 acres of land allotted to the Supreme Court into chamber blocks for lawyers. The case has been rescheduled for November 21, 2022.

The bench comprising Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi observed that "We have heard Mr. Vikas Singh on behalf of the petitioner. It is his submission that the plot of land in question can accommodate more than 1000 chambers. Part of it is meant for archives of the Supreme Court. It is submitted that the existing facilities available with the Supreme Court can take care of requirements of archives. He submits that the prayer made in the Writ Petition be granted so that appropriate chambers can be made. The Attorney General seeks time to be given to discuss with officials. We adjourn the matter for two weeks. At this stage, Mr. Singh submits that the matter be expanded and Prayer B also be taken into consideration. Let the matter be considered by appropriate bench. List it for 21st November."

Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, appearing on behalf of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), stated that he had met with the Judges' Committee, which stated that it was up to the lawyers to decide how the land should be used. CJI UU Lalit, on the other hand, noted that the administration had stated that the land was granted to the Supreme Court and not to lawyers. Furthermore, on an administrative level, the judges' committee cannot override Government policy decisions.

The petition requests that the entire area surrounding the Supreme Court be designated as a Supreme Court Complex in consultation with the Ministry of Urban Development, so that all buildings along Bhagwan Das Road, including the Foreign Correspondence Club, Indian Law Institute (ILI), Indian Society of International Law (ISIL), and others, be converted into chambers or redeveloped as a chamber block/use for Supreme Court-related activities. The petition further read that "The non-allotment of chambers due to the dearth of chamber blocks will violate the fundamental rights of the members as enshrined under Article 14, 19(1)(g) and Article 21 of E the Constitution of India. The same poses an impediment to the members of the Petitioner Association to practice their profession."

Case Title: SCBA v Ministry of Urban Development

Citation: W.P.(C) No. 640/2022