Kerala’s government just took a big step to upgrade its courts. On Wednesday, the state Cabinet greenlit a new High Court building and a full Judicial City in Kalamassery, a bustling suburb of Ernakulam. This project aims to modernize Kerala’s judicial infrastructure and fix long-standing problems with the current setup.
Minister for Industries, Coir, and Law P. Rajeev shared the exciting news on his Facebook page. The plan involves grabbing 27 acres of land from HMT, with the whole thing set to cost more than Rs 1,000 crore. The Public Works Department already has a rough blueprint ready: three tall towers spanning over 12 lakh square feet. Inside, you’ll find 61 court halls, the registrar’s office, an auditorium, admin blocks, a library, an arbitration center, a recruitment cell, an info center, the Advocate General’s office, and plenty of chambers for lawyers. They’re also adding parking spots and rainwater harvesting systems to keep things eco-friendly.
This approval came out of talks at last year’s annual meeting between the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice. A team led by then-Chief Justice A.J. Desai, plus several other judges, checked out the HMT site in Kalamassery. They loved it for the easy connections—think national highways, the Seaport-Airport Road, and the Kochi Metro Rail. Bonus: Kalamassery is right in Rajeev’s own constituency.
The push for this new Judicial City in Kalamassery stems from headaches at the existing High Court in downtown Kochi. That old building deals with constant waterlogging, not enough parking, and it’s too close to the sensitive Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary. Moving things could solve those space and environmental issues once and for all.
Not everyone’s on board, though. The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) has pushed back hard against shifting the High Court out of central Kochi city. They’ve raised concerns multiple times about the relocation.
Now, the Home Department gets the ball rolling on implementation. If all goes well, this Kerala High Court project could transform how justice works in the state, making it more efficient and sustainable.
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