Fire safety in Gurugram’s judicial infrastructure came under sharp focus after a major blaze in the record room of the District and Sessions Court Complex prompted an emergency inspection by the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s Inspecting Judge, Justice Ashwini Kumar Mishra, late Sunday evening.
Despite the fire not being fully extinguished at the time of his visit, Justice Mishra inspected the affected building while adhering to safety protocols and reviewed the extent of the damage along with judicial and administrative officers.
District and Sessions Judge Narender Sura, senior judicial officers, and top district officials accompanied him during the inspection.
Justice Mishra directed judicial officers to begin the early reconstruction of files and records damaged in the fire, assuring that the Punjab and Haryana High Court would provide full support to ensure judicial functioning does not suffer. He said that while judgments in some cases may face delays due to damaged records, reconstruction would be carried out in a phased manner to restore normal court functioning at the earliest.
Earlier in the day, Justice Mishra chaired a high-level review meeting at the PWD Rest House with Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh, Police Commissioner Shibas Kaviraj, District and Sessions Judge Narender Sura, Additional District and Sessions Judge Yashwinder Paul Singh, Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajat Verma, Gurugram Bar Association president Chandrakant Sharma, general secretary Rahul Dhankhar, and other officials.
During the meeting, officials conducted a preliminary assessment of the losses caused by the fire and discussed immediate administrative measures. Justice Narender Sura said a final assessment of the damage was yet to be conducted as temperatures inside the affected structure remained dangerously high.
He said portions of the building still required structural assessment and entry into the premises had not yet been declared safe.
According to court authorities, nearly 21 courts functioning from the old court complex have been temporarily shifted to the PWD Rest House under alternative arrangements. Directions have also reportedly been issued by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to ensure all necessary infrastructure and facilities are provided to judicial officers for uninterrupted functioning.
Officials said most records stored in the lower courts’ old record room were severely affected by the blaze, though the exact impact on pending cases would only become clear after reports from NDRF, SDRF and technical agencies are received.
The Gurugram Bar Association also assured full cooperation in reconstructing damaged records and assisting litigants. Association office-bearers appealed to the public not to panic, stating that urgent hearings and essential judicial work were continuing smoothly through alternative arrangements.
