Heavy rain floods Punjab and Haryana High Court’s record room in Sector 17

Saurabh Malik 

Chandigarh, August 11

The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s record room in Sector 17 was inundated following heavy rain that battered the city on Sunday. The relentless downpour caused sewage to backflow, leading to extensive flooding in the basement of the erstwhile district court building.

A sense of chaos and urgency prevailed as the usually serene ambiance of the court’s archive shifted into a bustling hive of frenzied activity. The corridors of the basement, once lined with neatly organized shelves, were transformed into narrow, waterlogged passages where staff jostled shoulder-to-shoulder. Their movements were marked by a sense of desperation as they maneuvered through the rising water, their hands trembling as they clutched soaked files dripping with dirty water.

The flooding left stacks of case files, some decades old, drenched and vulnerable to damage. Each step was a struggle as the staff waded through the foot-deep water, the floor beneath them sloshing with each movement. The sound of frantic voices and the sloshing of water created a discordant backdrop against the high court’s usually solemn atmosphere.

Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Deepak Sibal rushed to the scene, personally overseeing the emergency operation to shift the records to a safer location. Their concern was evident as they navigated the waterlogged basement. The soaked files underscored the High Court’s decade-long insistence on additional space for its staff and the record. The gravity of the situation was underscored by the fact that the High Court is a court of record, where case files are meticulously maintained and preserved.

As the water crept higher, the staff worked with a sense of urgency, forming human chains to move the files to drier areas. The only saving factor was that the records had already been digitised, offering some relief in an otherwise dire situation. The building houses approximately 20 lakh files of decided cases, making the task of preserving these records a monumental one. Chief Justice Nagu, who personally drove to the site, stood amidst the chaos, his presence a reassurance to those battling the floodwaters.

The High Court has since 2013 been hearing a petition filed in public interest on the High Court’s expansion. It had only recently rapped for deflecting the issue regarding land allotment of land, while “cornering prime property for its own use, including the new DC Office, which is to be set up in Sector 17 next to Shivalik Hotel”.