Punjab & Haryana High Court Orders Guest Houses Vacated for Judicial Officers in Malerkotla
Court directs immediate allocation of accommodations occupied by DC and SSP to District Judge
NewsArc Bureau
September 15, 2025
In a significant ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has mandated that government guest houses currently occupied by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Malerkotla, Punjab, be vacated immediately and handed over to the District and Sessions Judge for official and residential purposes. The directive comes as a response to the acute shortage of suitable infrastructure for judicial officers in the newly formed district.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, issued the order while addressing two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by the District Bar Association, Malerkotla. The PILs highlighted the lack of adequate courtrooms and residential accommodations for judicial officers, including the District and Sessions Judge, Additional District Judge, and Civil Judge, in Malerkotla, which was declared a district in 2021 and saw its Sessions Court established in 2023.
The court noted that the absence of residential accommodations meeting prescribed standards has hindered the functioning of judicial officers in the district. Previously, the court had tasked the Punjab Building Committee of the High Court with assessing whether the guest houses or other buildings occupied by executive authorities could be repurposed for judicial use. The committee suggested that if the state fails to construct permanent courtrooms and residences within a year, the accommodations occupied by executive officers could be allocated to judicial officers.
However, the bench disagreed with the committee’s timeline, citing the state’s repeated delays in providing infrastructure despite the formation of Malerkotla as a revenue district in June 2021 and the creation of its Sessions Division in August 2023. The court emphasized the large backlog of pending cases in Malerkotla and the urgent need for proper facilities to ensure judicial efficiency.
“Despite the respect we hold for the Building Committee’s resolution, the state’s failure to provide infrastructure, coupled with the significant case backlog, compels us to direct that the guest house occupied by the Deputy Commissioner and the residence of the Senior Superintendent of Police be vacated forthwith,” the court stated. It further ordered the issuance of allotment letters to the District and Sessions Judge for the use of these properties as official residences or courtrooms, if feasible.
The PILs were represented by advocates Gaurav Vir Singh Behl, Raageshwari Sharma, and Jugraj Singh Chauhan, with additional representation from advocates for Punjab, Haryana, and the Chandigarh Union Territory. Senior Advocate Gaurav Chopra appeared for the High Court.
The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on September 30, 2025, to monitor compliance and address ongoing infrastructure concerns for judicial officers in the region.
