State fined Rs 1L for failing to build complex

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Wednesday imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the Maharashtra government for failing to construct a new district sessions court complex in Sangli district within the prescribed timeframe.

A division bench of Justices A.S. Oka and M.S. Sonak directed the government to pay the amount to the Sangli Bar Association in a month. “The association shall use this amount for setting up a permanent fund to provide legal aid to poor and needy litigants and for holding literacy camps in villages,” the court said.

The bench passed its judgement in a petition filed by the association challenging the government’s decision to only construct one wing of the session court and refusal to construct ‘B’ wing of the court. After the petition was filed in 2015, the state government issued a resolution on August 1, 2016, approving construction of both the wings and made budgetary allocation for the same.

While ‘A’ wing of the court was to be constructed by August 2017, ‘B’ wing was to be completed by December this year. The state government later informed the court that work on ‘A’ wing of the building was still on and would be completed only by October last year.

The court in its order passed on Wednesday noted that till date the government has not completed the work on both the wings. “The state government has not abided by the timeframe set by it and this court. In such matters pertaining to setting up of courts and construction of the same, the government should on its own do the work and also provide additional facilities,” the court said in its order.