There is an acute shortage of official accommodation for judicial officers in Delhi, with over half of the district judges lacking government housing. Against the sanctioned strength of 897 judicial officers, only 348 residences are available, leaving a shortfall of 549 residences, as per a Delhi High Court document issued in March.

This shortfall has not been addressed despite the judiciary’s growing strength. The number of government homes has remained stagnant since 2018-19. Failure to construct new residences has left many judicial officers struggling to secure affordable housing in the city.

‘Inadequate’ rent allowance

The house rent allowance (HRA) provided to judicial officers is “grossly inadequate” for procuring suitable accommodation in the national capital. For an entry-level judge in the Delhi Judicial Service, the HRA stands at approximately ₹21,000.

As the cost of a modest rental property in the city is no less than ₹50,000 per month, it is impracticable for several judicial officers to rent suitable and appropriate accommodation near the court, said Shefali Barnala Tandon, Additional Sessions Judge and secretary of the Judicial Service Association of Delhi. “Many judges are forced to reside in Faridabad, Noida, and Gurgaon, leading to long and exhausting commutes,” she said.

She said nothing has changed in terms of construction of additional flats for judges in the past seven years. “Rather, it has worsened because we now have an additional batch of 126 judicial officers without any accommodation for them,” she said.

In January 2024, the Supreme Court, while adjudicating a case on pay, pension and service conditions of the district judiciary in the country, had observed that there is a dearth of government quarters. “The work of a judicial officer is not confined to the working hours rendered in the course of judicial duties in the court. Every judicial officer is required to work before and after the court working hours,” the court had said, reminding that providing adequate official accommodation to judicial officers has to be necessarily a priority for all.

Currently, there are only three residential complexes for district judges in Delhi — the Karkardooma Court Complex (55 units), Saket Court Complex (128 units), and Rohini Court Complex (48 units). Another 117 units have been allocated from the judicial pool in government colonies such as Model Town, Timarpur, and Civil Lines.

Unfulfilled housing projects

In 2014, a project to construct 70 flats in Dwarka was initiated but it couldn’t be completed due to the emergence of several flaws in the construction quality. Now, on the account of structural instability, the court has ordered its demolition. There is a revised plan for construction of 86 new flats on the same plot.

In 2018, a 10,000-square-metre plot in Anand Vihar was considered for housing but the construction never began as the site didn’t get converted into “residential” from ‘commercial’.

Later, DDA identified an alternate plot of land at Vishwas Nagar, Shahdara in lieu of the already allotted plot at Anand Vihar. However, the Delhi High Court’s Infrastructure Committee rejected it citing its location in a “congested area” and not being suitable for the residential accommodation.

Pleas in Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court is seized of two petitions, in which the Judicial Service Association, Delhi is one of the petitioners, seeking direction to provide adequate government accommodation.

The association said the present situation has led to the judicial officers’ suffering from additional distress and discomfort caused due to the lack of suitable government accommodation.

Meanwhile, the association pointed out that there are 123 Type VI flats available in Dwarka with the Delhi Development Authority, urging the court to allow the officers to apply for accommodations from the Central and State governments housing pools.

The Public Works Department, recently, informed the court that an alternative one-hectare land parcel at CBD Ground, Shahdara, where 90 flats can be constructed. However, the project remains stalled as the necessary funds were not released.

During the hearing on December 9, 2024, the Delhi government’s counsel informed the court that a meeting was scheduled the next day for deciding on the funding for the pending projects. However, the meeting could not be held in the wake of the Delhi Assembly poll.

Responding to the non-holding of the meeting, the court, on March 19, remarked, “At least a month’s period has passed since the Assembly poll concluded but no effort appears to be in sight for ensuring the finances for pending projects”.

The court now has granted time to the Delhi government to “take a positive decision in relation to the sanction and release of funds for initiation and completion of pending housing projects, including those at Dwarka and CBD Ground, Shahdara”.