Gurgaon district court moves to PWD guesthouse after blaze at record room

GURGAON: A fire in the record room of the district court complex has forced its premises to shut down, disrupted judicial work and pushed hearings into temporary quarters at the PWD guesthouse.

For now, only urgent matters - mainly bail and stay pleas - will be heard in the 20 rooms of the guesthouse, which will function as 21 courts.

The blaze broke out on Sunday and continued to smoulder late into the night, with several fire tenders deployed at the site. As a safety measure, the complex was sealed and power supply cut.

Justice Ashwini Kumar Mishra, inspecting judge from Punjab and Haryana high court, visited the complex on Sunday evening along with district and sessions judge Narender Sura and other administrative officials.

Although the fire had not been fully brought under control at the time, Justice Mishra reviewed the situation while ensuring safety protocols were followed.

Justice Mishra later chaired a review meeting at the PWD guesthouse with deputy commissioner Uttam Singh, police commissioner Shibas Kaviraj, judge Sura, additional district and sessions judge Yashwinder Paul Singh, chief judicial magistrate Rajat Verma and representatives of the Gurgaon Bar Association, including president Chandrakant Sharma and general secretary Rahul Dhankhar.

He asked judicial officers to speed up the reconstruction of damaged files and assured them of the high court's full support. While acknowledging that some judgments could be delayed, he made it clear that judicial work must continue.

Judge Sura said a full assessment of the damage was still not possible because of the heat inside the building. "Some portions still need structural evaluation, and entry is still unsafe. A detailed inspection can be carried out only after reports from the NDRF, SDRF and technical agencies are received," he added.

According to preliminary information, most files kept in the old record room of the lower courts had burnt.

Sharma said the Bar would fully support the exercise to rebuild records. "The situation is difficult, but the judiciary, administration and Bar are working with seriousness and coordination," he said.

He added that lawyers would assist in reconstructing files in accordance with legal procedure.

Bar representatives also urged litigants not to panic, saying urgent hearings were continuing under the temporary arrangement and efforts were underway to restore normal functioning as quickly as possible.