Key facts
- The current Kerala High Court building in Ernakulam was inaugurated by Chief Justice of India Y. K. Sabharwal on 11 February 2006; its foundation stone had been laid on 14 March 1994 (Wikipedia).
- In January 2023 the High Court's Registrar General told the advocates' association there was 'no proposal to shift' the court, only a request to the state for more land, IANS reported.
- The annual Chief Minister–Chief Justice meeting on 9 November 2023 agreed in principle to a new complex, which the High Court had sought because of lack of space (Onmanorama).
- A high-level meeting in Kochi on 4 February 2024 chose 27 acres at Kalamassery for a 28 lakh sq ft complex with 60 courts, and fixed a site inspection for 17 February (Onmanorama).
- The HMT land at Kalamassery has been under a Supreme Court status-quo order since 2016, when the court issued notice on HMT's appeal against a 2014 Kerala High Court judgment on land-ceiling proceedings (Onmanorama).
Where this page fits
We already keep a running timeline of the High Court's move to Kalamassery, which follows events from the 2025 Cabinet decision onwards, and an explainer on what the Judicial City would contain. This page is the back story. It asks why a court that moved into a new building in 2006 was talking about another new campus by 2023, and why the land chosen for it was already the subject of a court case.
A court that had already moved once
According to Wikipedia, the Travancore–Cochin High Court was set up at Kochi on 7 July 1949, and the High Court of Kerala in its present form was established on 1 November 1956, the day the state was formed. For decades it sat in Ram Mohan Palace, a two-storey building from the mid-1930s, IANS noted in 2024.
The present building next to it had a long gestation. The foundation stone was laid on 14 March 1994 by the then Chief Justice of India, M. N. Venkatachaliah. Construction was completed in 2005 at a cost Wikipedia puts at ₹85 crore, against an original estimate of ₹10 crore, and the building was inaugurated by Chief Justice Y. K. Sabharwal on 11 February 2006. Wikipedia describes nine floors and about 5.5 lakh sq ft on a 5-acre plot; later reports on the relocation debate describe the whole complex as about 11 acres. The two figures probably measure different things, and we give both.
The land question began much earlier
The site later chosen for the Judicial City is part of HMT's old Kalamassery estate. Onmanorama, summarising the state's 2025 Supreme Court application, described it as part of a land bank of about 900 acres acquired in the 1960s for the machine tool factory (see our history of HMT's land and factory). After a 2000 notification HMT kept about 100 acres; 70 of those were sold to a private real-estate firm, now the site of the Adani Logistics Park, and 3 acres went to the NIA, leaving 27.
In 2014 the Kerala High Court held that the land could not be subjected to ceiling proceedings under the Kerala Land Reforms Act. HMT appealed, and in 2016 the Supreme Court issued notice and ordered the status quo. Onmanorama did not give the exact day of that order, and we have not found it in another source. That order, years older than the Judicial City idea, is the reason the land became the main obstacle later on.
Timeline before the 2025 decision
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 7 July 1949 | Travancore–Cochin High Court established at Kochi | Wikipedia |
| 1 November 1956 | High Court of Kerala established with the new state | Wikipedia |
| 14 March 1994 | Foundation stone of the present High Court building laid | Wikipedia |
| 11 February 2006 | Present building inaugurated by CJI Y. K. Sabharwal; court moves from the adjacent palace | Wikipedia |
| 2014 | Kerala High Court rules HMT's Kalamassery land is not subject to land-ceiling proceedings | Onmanorama (2025) |
| 2016 | Supreme Court issues notice on HMT's appeal and orders status quo on the land | Onmanorama (2025) |
| January 2023 | Registrar General tells KHCAA there is no proposal to shift, only a request for more land | IANS |
| 9 November 2023 | CM–Chief Justice meeting agrees in principle to a new complex | Onmanorama |
| January 2024 | KHCAA general body passes a resolution opposing a move to Kalamassery | IANS, 31 January 2024 |
| 4 February 2024 | High-level meeting in Kochi settles on 27 acres at Kalamassery; inspection set for 17 February | Onmanorama |
| 5 February 2024 | KHCAA president Yeshwanth Shenoy says the court 'is not shifting' without the Bar's backing | Verdictum |
| September 2025 | State Cabinet gives in-principle approval to the Judicial City (covered in our main timeline) | Onmanorama, Bar & Bench |
November 2023 to February 2024: the idea takes shape
According to Onmanorama, the High Court itself first raised the need for a new complex because of space constraints, and the idea was agreed at the annual meeting between the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice on 9 November 2023.
On 4 February 2024 Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a high-level meeting in Kochi with Chief Justice Ashish Jitendra Desai, Law Minister P. Rajeeve, Revenue Minister K. Rajan and three High Court judges. The meeting chose the 27-acre Kalamassery site, citing the difficulty of acquiring more land near the existing court and Kalamassery's accessibility. The concept then on the table was large: about 28 lakh sq ft, 60 courts, a judicial academy, a mediation centre, offices, staff quarters, lawyers' chambers and parking. Judges and ministers were to inspect the site on 17 February. The September 2025 design was much smaller, at about 12 lakh sq ft and 61 court halls.
The first objections
The Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA) responded quickly. IANS reported on 31 January 2024 that its general body had passed a resolution opposing the move, which it described as about 15 km from the present site, and had asked the High Court to form a committee to secure 17 acres of Housing Board land near the existing complex for future expansion.
On 5 February 2024, the day after the high-level meeting, KHCAA president Yeshwanth Shenoy wrote that the proposal would cost 'not less than 500–1000 crores', that the building was 'just about 20 yrs old', and that any money should go to upgrading existing courts. He said the court would not shift while the general body opposed it. These are the association's positions as reported; the state and the High Court's administrative side argued that the current site had run out of room.
This page records positions, not merits. Whether the court should move is a matter for the High Court, the state and, on the land, the Supreme Court.
Why this history matters near the NAD signal
The HMT land lies a few kilometres west of the NAD Road signal, past HMT Junction. If the Judicial City is ever built, it would bring lawyers, clerks and litigants to this side of town every day; until then, the story is one of meetings and court orders. Ashraf Gents Hostel on NAD Road takes men only, including law students and junior advocates, at an indicative ₹2,000–3,000 per head a month (negotiable, confirmed on the call). See the guide for High Court juniors and the Kalamassery history archive.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Judicial City at Kalamassery first proposed?
The idea of a new High Court complex was agreed in principle at the CM–Chief Justice meeting on 9 November 2023, and the Kalamassery site was chosen at a high-level meeting on 4 February 2024.
Why is the HMT land under a Supreme Court order?
HMT appealed a 2014 Kerala High Court judgment on land-ceiling proceedings, and in 2016 the Supreme Court issued notice and ordered the status quo, which still applied in 2025.
How old is the current High Court building?
It was inaugurated on 11 February 2006 after a foundation stone laid on 14 March 1994.
Who opposed the move in 2024?
The Kerala High Court Advocates' Association, whose general body passed a resolution against it in January 2024, citing cost and the age of the current building and asking for nearby land instead.
Was the early plan the same as the 2025 design?
No. The February 2024 concept spoke of about 28 lakh sq ft and 60 courts; the 2025 preliminary design described about 12 lakh sq ft and 61 court halls.
Related guides
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kerala High Court
- Onmanorama: Kalamassery judicial city plans new High Court building with 60 courts (4 February 2024)
- IANS: Advocates' association opposes proposal to move Kerala HC to Kalamassery (31 January 2024)
- Verdictum: KHCAA president objects to proposal for shifting Kerala HC to Kalamassery (5 February 2024)
- Onmanorama: Kerala approaches Supreme Court for permission to use HMT land (26 November 2025)
- Onmanorama: Kerala govt gives nod to ₹1,000 cr judicial city in Kalamassery (24 September 2025)
Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile and photos; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Last reviewed . How we write these guides: editorial notes. Map embeds © Google.
Cite this guide: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “The Judicial City Idea before 2025: How the Relocation Debate Began.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/judicial-city-proposal-history/ Plain-text (Markdown) version · quoting with a link back is welcome.