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Mumbai: The family court building in Bandra is in a dilapidated condition and the fire-safety equipment in the 33-year-old building is non-functional, the Family Court Bar Association has said.

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Thursday took note of the Association’s complaints and issued a notice to the Law and Judiciary department over fund allocation for the maintenance and repairs of the building. There are seven courts in the premises, which handle around 600 matters every day.

The Association has claimed that there is continuous water seepage during the monsoon and the fire-safety equipment was not functional. It claimed the fire pump and booster pump have not been working for the past eight years. “The entire system is in a dilapidated condition and a major portion of it is rusted,” said the Association.

During the hearing before the Commission over the issue, the Public Works Department (PWD) had stated that they had completed a structural audit of the building in 2021 and a plan for repairs was already drawn up. However, they are waiting for sufficient fund allocation.

The report submitted by the fire safety department too confirmed that the fire safety mechanism in the family court building was not in working condition. “Due to storage, the pump room is not accessible. Fire pump, jockey pump and booster pump are provided, but are not in working condition,” reads the report.

The fire safety department also said that the pipes were rusted in many places and that the fire alarm system was also not in a working condition. Further, the department claimed that, “riser pipe found in rusted condition at many places and wet riser cum down corner system is provided but not in working condition. Also, the fire alarm system too is not in the working condition.”

The PWD claimed that it completed the audit of the building in 2021 and have already prepared plans for structural repairs of the building. But the work is yet to start.

“The electronics as well as records of the court are getting damaged because of the leakage. The replastering of the entire structure from outside is the solution for the same and the PWD may be directed to complete the work before the next monsoon to save the building,” the association has said in its representation to the Commission.

A minimum of 1,200 litigants, 500 lawyers, 150 staff members, 7 judges, 200 people for registration of documents, 20 registration staffs, 15 canteen staffs and around 500 witnesses and some service providers visit the family court building every day, the Association added.

Charul Shah is senior reporter covering the legal beat for Hindustan Times. She has spent over a decade in the industry covering criminal investigations and judiciary from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. ...view detail

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