Full courtroom consensus: Glass corridors out, grandeur in

The panels, put in in the course of the tenure of then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud as a part of a centralised air-conditioning improve, have been initially supposed to modernise the apex courtroom’s corridors, providing chilled consolation with a facet of glossy aesthetics. But very like an formidable courtroom argument that doesn’t fairly land, the glass makeover drew sturdy objections from the very individuals the courtroom serves — its Bar.

On Saturday, the highest courtroom issued a press launch clarifying that the choice to take away the glass partitions was a unanimous verdict by the complete courtroom, with all sitting judges placing their collective judicial may behind the hall’s aesthetic rehabilitation. The assertion underlined that the decision was taken after “cautious consideration of considerations concerning the unique grandeur, visibility, aesthetics, and courtroom accessibility,” whereas tacitly conveying that the choice was not the non-public name of the brand new CJI, Justice Bhushan R Gavai.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) had written to then CJI Sanjiv Khanna in December 2024, mentioning that the glass corridors, whereas launched for temperature management, have been creating bottlenecks throughout peak hours. The affiliation complained that the decreased hall area made motion tough for legal professionals, clerks, interns and litigants, particularly when a number of courtrooms have been in session. The letter additionally raised security considerations, together with the event of cracks in some glass panels, and highlighted the absence of contemporary air and daylight as extra points.

Similarly, Supreme Court Advocates-On-Record Association (SCAORA), in its letter to the then CJI, echoed many of those considerations. It harassed that the partitions have been put in with out enough session with Bar representatives, and that the change clashed with the historic ethos and architectural character of the courtroom. “The corridors, as they as soon as have been, embodied the grandeur and timelessness of the courtroom’s legacy,” famous the affiliation, including that the older, open design was extra in keeping with each performance and custom.

Although each associations had raised the difficulty throughout justice Khanna’s time period, no formal step was taken till after justice Gavai took over on May 14. Soon after, the complete courtroom deliberated on the matter and gave its nod to revive the corridors to their earlier state.

While the elimination of glass panels might appear as if a minor tweak in infrastructure, it displays a broader sensitivity inside the highest judiciary as to how the bodily area of the courtroom interacts with its historical past, stakeholders and every day functioning. With the corridors opened up once more, members of the Bar welcomed the transfer as a return to familiarity and performance.

Senior counsel and SCBA president Vikas Singh mentioned, “Any infrastructure change within the Supreme Court required dialogue with SCBA. The then CJI didn’t comply with this…The partitions not solely spoiled the facade of the Supreme Court but additionally made the hall narrower and it turned a harrowing expertise for woman legal professionals and the aged throughout rush hours.”

SCAORA president Vipin Nair mentioned that the affiliation at all times believed that the majesty, grandeur and heritage of the Supreme Court must be preserved at any value. “The outdated pristine entrance facade, which allows sunshine and contemporary air has now been restored,” he mentioned.