The administrative and judicial machinery of Gurugram has been pushed to a breaking point following a massive fire that incinerated the district court’s record room this past Sunday. The blaze, which caused a partial structural collapse of the main court building, has forced the closure of the primary premises and triggered a desperate scramble to keep the justice system functional. In a move to ensure that urgent legal matters specifically bail hearings and critical cases do not stall, the district administration and the Bar Association have announced that these proceedings will now be shifted to the local PWD Rest House.
The transition to the PWD Rest House has sparked widespread alarm among advocates and litigants. Legal practitioners are warning that the facility is woefully inadequate for judicial operations, lacking the necessary courtrooms and secure infrastructure to handle the high volume of daily cases. The move is expected to create extreme chaos, with the cramped quarters unable to accommodate the hundreds of advocates and litigants who descend upon the courts daily.
This disaster has thrown a harsh spotlight on the systemic failures surrounding Gurugram’s long-delayed “Tower of Justice” project. Despite being touted as a state-of-the-art judicial complex, the construction project has languished for nearly a decade. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, which has been closely monitoring the project’s glacial progress, had issued a stern notice to the Haryana government as recently as April, ordering the completion of the tower by May 15, 2026, or facing stringent legal action. Yet, the government has repeatedly failed to meet its obligations, leaving the judiciary to operate from crumbling, unsafe buildings.
Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, former Bar Association President, expressed deep indignation over the state of affairs. “The court infrastructure here has been in shambles for years, and it is frankly life-threatening," Bhardwaj stated. “We have been ringing alarm bells regarding fire safety and the structural integrity of these buildings for a long time, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. There must be an immediate, independent enquiry to identify the exact reasons behind this blaze and to fix accountability for this administrative negligence."
While the High Court continues to keep a close watch on the situation, the legal fraternity remains in a state of uncertainty. As the district moves its essential services to the temporary confines of the PWD Rest House, the disaster serves as a grim indictment of the failure to prioritize judicial infrastructure, forcing the city’s legal system to survive in a makeshift, overcrowded environment while a multi-crore project remains unfinished.
