Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday assured that the state government would soon allot a tract of land in Mumbai's Bandra for a new complex of the Bombay High Court.
Shinde and Fadnavis were speaking at a felicitation programme for Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit at the Raj Bhavan here. The CJI is set to retire on November 8.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Dipankar Datta were also present at the event.
"Our government is planning to bring transparency in the judiciary. We are taking decisions for the betterment of the judiciary. A tract of land at Bandra will soon be allotted for the new high court complex. It is a need of the state," Shinde said.
Speaking about the issue, Fadnavis said the land allotment for a new high court building was a long-pending concern of Chief Justice Datta, and assured that the same would be resolved soon.
"Our government has decided to boost the court infrastructure. A long-pending concern of our HC Chief Justice Dipankar Datta of allotting a plot for the new complex of the high court is almost resolved. All legal issues pertaining to the land in Bandra, Mumbai for the new complex (have been resolved). Soon a land parcel will be allotted," the deputy chief minister said.
The present high court building in south Mumbai was very old, he said.
Calling CJI Lalit "Maharashtra's son", Shinde praised several important decisions he had taken during his tenure to bring transparency to court proceedings, such as live-streaming of constitutional courts.
Fadnavis also appreciated the CJI's efforts during his short tenure to bring transparency to the Supreme Court's roster and hear more cases.
During his tenure of less than three months, CJI Lalit began live streaming of cases heard by the Constitution bench and also said that the top court would soon develop its own platform to host live telecast of proceedings.
CJI Lalit speaking at the event said he was proud to be a son of Maharashtra.
