Sitting judges’ wives perform groundbreaking of Supreme Court building expansion

Wives of sitting judges, including Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud’s wife Kalpana Das, performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the Supreme Court premises on Monday.
In a welcome gesture, CJI Chandrachud invited the wives of sitting Supreme Court judges, alongside former judges at the top court to perform the ceremony along with the construction team members as well.
They all used pickaxes at the site of the new building to mark the event.
Appreciating the CJI’s move, law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “Inviting the wives of fellow judges was such a nice gesture for the CJI, and it shows how much he respects his women counterparts”.
CJI Chandrachud also made sure the plaque placed on the groundbreaking ceremony doesn’t only feature his name, but also the names of all sitting judges of the Supreme Court.
During his address, the CJI explained the features of the new building and said, “The building is inspired by the scales of justice with the central wing symbolising the beam, the two wings representing balance, and semicircle hooks at the end representing pans of the scale”.
“The expansion is designed to accommodate the increasing caseloads, new judicial benches and requirements of our judges, lawyers and citizens. The expansion is not just about increasing physical space. It is about building capacity for justice”, CJI said.
The new structure will spread over 86,500 square metres of built-up area and will be constructed in 2 phases. Phase I will be completed within 29 months. It will cover approximately 38,250 square metres and consist of two basements and a five-storey building. By phase 2, the Supreme Court will gain an additional 29 courtrooms, new chambers for judges, and dedicated spaces for lawyers and registries.
CJI Chandrachud also revealed that the Constitution Court with a 17-judge bench sitting arrangement will be placed on the fifth floor of the new structure and said, “We are not just adding space, we are expanding our capability to deliver justice in a timely and dignified manner”.
During the thanksgiving speech, Supreme Court Judge BR Gavai said, “We know that India is a secular country. Today, we witnessed 11 priests from different religions and genders participating in today’s event and making it truly secular”.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna called it a “happy and a momentous occasion”, highlighting it as a manifestation of a collective vision for a stronger, more accessible and efficient justice system for citizens.