Chief Justice steps out in rain to assess damage to records

Over 5000 case files stored in the basement of the old district court building in Sector 17 were damaged due to flooding

Around 5,000 to 6,000 High Court case files stored in the basement of the old district court building in Sector 17 were damaged due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall on Sunday. The downpour led to sewage backflow, resulting in extensive flooding in the basement.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court maintains two record rooms in this basement, which houses approximately 20 lakh files of decided cases. After the heavy rain, security guards inspected the basement, which also houses Chandigarh’s Arbitration Centre, and discovered that about a foot of water had accumulated, damaging thousands of files.

The flooding left stacks of case files, some decades old, soaked and susceptible to further damage. The waterlogged area was reportedly caused by an overflow of sewage and toilets in the basement.

Upon being informed, the security staff alerted High Court officials. Following this, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Sheel Nagu, along with Justice Deepak Sibal, who is also the Chairman of the Building Committee, and other High Court officials, personally visited the record room to assess the damage.

It is worth noting that since 2013, the High Court has been hearing a public interest petition concerning the Court’s expansion.