Raising an issue of national importance during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Member of Parliament Sanjay Bhatia urged the Union Government to establish a Circuit Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Gurugram. He described the proposal as a significant step towards strengthening access to justice, judicial decentralisation, and ease of doing business.
Speaking in the House, Bhatia said that with the Punjab and Haryana High Court functioning only from Chandigarh, litigants, advocates, MSMEs, industrial units, and corporate establishments from Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh, Palwal, Rewari, Mahendragarh and other districts of South Haryana are compelled to travel to Chandigarh for every High Court matter. This, he noted, leads to higher litigation expenses, increased travel time, and substantial opportunity costs, thereby limiting timely access to justice.
Highlighting Gurugram's growing economic significance, Bhatia said the city has emerged as one of India's leading IT hubs, a major corporate and financial services centre, a thriving start-up ecosystem, and a key driver of industrial growth. He pointed out that a large number of commercial disputes, labour matters, land acquisition cases, arbitration proceedings, tax litigation, insolvency matters, and constitutional cases originate from the region, making the establishment of a High Court Circuit Bench a pressing necessity.
The MP also referred to the recently inaugurated Tower of Justice in Gurugram, describing it as a state-of-the-art judicial complex equipped with modern court infrastructure, digital courtrooms, and e-court facilities. According to him, the new judicial infrastructure provides a strong foundation for setting up a Circuit Bench of the High Court.
Emphasising the constitutional basis for the demand, Bhatia cited Article 39A, which obligates the State to ensure equal access to justice for all citizens. He further noted that the right to speedy justice, recognised under Article 21 as an integral part of the right to life and personal liberty through judicial interpretation, makes judicial decentralisation not merely an administrative reform but a constitutional imperative.
Bhatia urged the Central Government to initiate a feasibility study, in consultation with the Government of Haryana, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and other concerned authorities, for establishing a Circuit Bench in Gurugram. He asserted that the initiative would make justice more accessible, affordable, and timely, help reduce the burden of pending cases, and provide a significant boost to the rule of law, investor confidence, and ease of doing business in South Haryana.
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