Court Design Handbook

Court Design Handbook for District Courts in India

The Design Handbook seeks to envision and implement a user-centric District Court Complex responsive to the needs of all diverse users, i.e., litigants, judges, lawyers, Court staff, witnesses, accused persons, police, public visitors and other stakeholders in the justice system. A principles-based framework is used to highlight associated guidelines and design considerations, for creating truly inclusive, accessible, efficient, comfortable, adaptable, and sustainable Courts where the experience of seeking and providing justice is significantly improved.

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Projects Authors And Acknowledgements

Shreya Tripathy is a Senior Resident Fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy working as part of the Justice, Access, and Lowering Delays in India (JALDI) Initiative. Priyamvadha Shivaji is a Research Fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy working as part of the Justice, Access, and Lowering Delays in India (JALDI) Initiative. Brinda Sastry is an architect, urban designer, and planner with experience in formulating policies, audit frameworks, and design guidelines, with a participatory approach, to ensure inclusive and equitable design of public places. Shreya Shetty is an architect and urban design consultant, Co-Founder of 369 Ochre Studio who assisted in drafting the Harmonised Guidelines & Standards for Universal Accessibility in India 2021, drafted by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) & Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee released by Central Public Works Department, Government of India under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Bhagyalaxmi Madapur , Co-Founder of 369 Ochre Studio in Bengaluru, India, is an architect and urbanist who worked as a contract consultant with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the project "Sponge City: Towards Building Flood Resilient Kolkata," which involved creating educational materials-infographic handbooks, videos, and brochures aimed at strengthening the capacity of Kolkata Municipal Corporation for resilient urban services. Abubakar Shaikh is an architect and Art Lead at Autovrse. Gayatri Ganesh is an architect and Experience Designer at Autovrse. Milind D.P. is the Executive Vice President, Consultancy & Projects, BNA Technology Consulting Ltd. His division is focused on IT Infrastructure Design, Project Management and Monitoring of ICT Projects. Arun Kumar is an acoustic consultant at HMPL Consulting Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, with over 8 years of expertise in Architectural, Environmental, and Industrial Acoustics, dedicated to shaping sound environments for optimal experiences. Akshatha Hariharan is an architect exploring the realms of Visual & User experience design. Rama Raghavan is an Architectural writer and researcher based in Pune. As a pedagogue, she has curated courses in Accessibility and Universal Design. She has worked on several publications that intricately connect the built environment with socio-spatial dimensions. This report has been in the making for over two years and owes a great deal to the inputs provided by a multitude of people. The authors would like to thank the following: Deepika Kinhal (Team Lead, JALDI) for her guidance throughout the project and for reviewing the report. The authors are also grateful to Reshma Sekhar (Former Senior Resident Fellow, JALDI) for her contribution to the conceptualisation of the Handbook. Dr. Gaurav Raheja (Professor of Architecture, IIT Roorkee) and Dr. Rahela Korakhiwala (Author, From the Colonial to the Contemporary: Images, Iconography, Memories, and Performances of Law in India's High Courts) for their guidance in the conceptualisation stage. Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad (Former Chief Justice, Jammu & Kashmir High Court), Justice Ponugoti Naveen Rao (Former Acting Chief Justice, Telangana High Court) and Mr. Suresh Kogilgere (Former Registrar, Karnataka High Court) for their inputs for the project. Dr. Tanya Machado (Professor of Clinical Psychology (Rtd). Consultant Clinical Psychologist) and Dr. Ria Fernandez (Rehabilitation Specialist, Mazumdar Shaw Hospital) for their inputs on child-friendly design and providing trauma-informed design considerations for vulnerable witnesses. Akhilesh (Project Second Chance) for his inputs on safe, secure, and humane design considerations for accused persons. Nilesh Singit (independent accessibility expert) and Dr. Sanjay Jain (Professor at National Law School of India University, Bengaluru), members of the Supreme Court Committee on Accessibility, for their inputs on ensuring universal accessibility. Alok Prasanna Kumar (Co-founder and Team Lead, Vidhi Karnataka), and Vidhi Fellows Manmayi Sharma (Senior Resident Fellow, Disability Inclusion & Access), Yashaswini Basu (Outreach Lead, Nyaaya), Yogini Oke (Impact and Partnerships Fellow), Shireen Yachu (Communications Fellow, Impact Collective) and Somya Jain (Research Fellow, Disability Inclusion & Access) for their inputs on the project. Damini Ghosh (Team Lead, Disability, Inclusion & Access at Vidhi) and Prof. Sanjay Kanvinde (Senior Partner, Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury) for peer-reviewing the Handbook and providing their invaluable feedback. Over the months of February and March 2024, four round-table consultations were held with experts from various fields, on the following themes covered in the Handbook: Institutional capacity building; Making District Courts safe, secure and comfortable; Incorporating Universal Design Principles; and Facilitating efficient and future-ready Court Complexes. The authors would like to thank the following participants for their inputs during the sessions: Justice (retd.) Ponugoti Naveen Rao (former acting Chief Justice at Telangana High Court), Prof. Jyoti Dogra (Professor at Indian Law Institute), Dr. Sheila Ramaswamy (Technical & Operational Lead at NIMHANS), Ms. Arushi Anthwal (Legal Counsel at Counsel to Secure Justice), Ms. Kushi Kushalappa (Director, Support & Rehabilitation at Enfold India), Ms. Shirisha Reddy (Program Manager at Nyaaya Kannada), Mr. Amar Jain (co-founder at Mission Accessibility), Ms. Anita Iyer Narayan (Managing Trustee, sponsor and volunteer at Ekansh Trust), Prof. Gaurav Raheja (Professor Incharge, Inclusion & Accessibility Services at IIT Roorkee), Ms. Nivedita Krishna (founder-director at PACTA), Ms. Pooja Sastry (PhD candidate in architectural history at University College, Dublin), Ms. Shruti Dixit (practising lawyer in Lucknow), Mr. Akshay Jain (Assistant Program Manager at National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People), Mr. Rahul Bajaj (co-founder at Mission Accessibility) and Mr. R. Sri Kumar (former Head of Police Force in Karnataka and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner). The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy is an independent think-tank doing legal research to make better laws and improve governance for the public good. The JALDI Initiative is a multi-year initiative that aims to advocate for and implement evidence-based reforms to eliminate the existing backlog in Courts and ensure that cases are disposed within reasonable timelines. This report is under the aegis of JALDI Innovation Lab, a multi-disciplinary collaborative of experts to design solutions for the justice delivery systems in India. Errors, if any, rest with the authors. Contact us at jaldi@vidhilegalpolicy.in

Sub Project Title

Design Guide for User-Centric Court Complexes

design

law

Jaldi Lab Aspect Title

Design

Design

Design-thinking and architecture to transform how accessing justice looks and feels

Jaldi Lab Aspect Title

Law

Law

Rules and policies to guide implementation of reforms in a fair, just and transparent manner.

Introducing the Court Design Handbook

Introducing the Court Design Handbook

Court Design Handbook: Reimagining Courts that meet the needs of all users

Court Design Handbook: Reimagining Courts that meet the needs of all users

Designing Justice: Introducing JALDI's New Video Series

Designing Justice: Introducing JALDI's New Video Series

Designing Justice: Interview with Anchal Bhateja

Designing Justice: Interview with Anchal Bhateja

Introduction to the series

Introduction to the series

How can we improve e-Filing in courts?

How can we improve e-Filing in courts?

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Separate spaces must be designated for the PP and GP offices. This Handbook recommends similar design considerations for both the spaces.

Objectives

Design the Chambers to

streamline processes

for the effective execution of legal proceedings;

Ensure

swift response, efficient coordination, and confidentiality

, when necessary, by locating the PP/GP Chambers to be in close proximity to Courtrooms;

Ensure that the

office spaces are accessible to diverse user groups

of lawyers, litigants and staff who may use the space;

Provide a spacious, private waiting area prioritising the

comfort and privacy of all litigants

visiting the PP/GP Chambers; and

Ensure provision of

adequate, accessible sanitary provisions

for diverse user groups.

Users

Public Prosecutor/Government Pleader

Assistant Public Prosecutor/Assistant Government Pleader (where applicable)

Empanelled Advocates

Office staff

Litigants

Adjacencies

The Chambers for the PP/GP must be strategically located near or in close proximity to the Courtrooms, or have segregated access to the Courtrooms in order to ensure direct access whenever necessary.

Office spaces for empanelled lawyers and staff must be in close proximity to the Chambers for the PP/GP, to ensure seamless coordination and efficient functioning.

Design Considerations

The Chambers for the PP/GP must be designed to be a self-contained space for the officers, their staff, and other empanelled lawyers.

A designated waiting area must be provided at the entrance of the Chambers, or in close proximity, to ensure that visiting litigants have a designated seating space.

Adequate designated space must be provided within the Chambers or in close proximity for office staff and other empanelled lawyers.

The offices must have dedicated accessible sanitary provisions, or be in close proximity to the same.

All spaces in the Chambers must be equipped with modular seating, and provision should be made for natural light and ventilation, including well-designed acoustics.

The Chambers must have adequate compact storage for all the case files being dealt with.

Offices of the PP/GP

Separate cubicles must be provided for the (Assistant) PP and the (Assistant) GP, wherever possible.

The rooms must be designed to have adequate work space, as well as storage for the files and personal belongings of the PP/GP.

The rooms must have adequate ergonomic seating for litigants visiting the space.

The rooms must be designed to ensure private conversations with effective acoustic barriers, including soundproof partitions, acoustic doors, acoustically absorptive ceiling, and wall materials. For further details on acoustics, please refer to

Annexure 5.

Waiting Area

Adequate space must be provided for a separate, dedicated waiting area for litigants visiting the PP/GP.

The waiting area must be accessible to diverse user groups with adequate ramps and elevators, accessible signage, and tactile paths.

Provision must be made for accessible case display screens and information kiosks with audible announcements. For further details on the design of the waiting area, please refer to

Section 2.2.

Space for Office Clerks/Secretaries

Adequate space must be provided for the offices of the secretarial staff attached with each PP/GP.

Adequate ergonomic seating and technology must be provided, for the various functions to be undertaken by the staff.

Adequate storage facilities must be provided to store official documents as well as personal belonging of the staff.

Space for Empanelled Advocates

Separate workspace must be provided for empanelled Advocates. For further details on design of a multi-person office space, refer to

Section 2.5.C.

These rooms must be equipped with a case display system (with audible announcements) and kiosks, to ensure that the Advocates are able to access information regarding ongoing cases conveniently.

Adequate functional work spaces, with ergonomic furniture must be provided for the Advocates and other staff to undertake their work.

Library

The Chambers of the PP/GP must be equipped with requisite dedicated library facilities.

The library must be well-equipped with IT infrastructure, to ensure smooth functioning and access to sufficient resources for research and legal reference.

The library must have sufficient provision of ergonomic chairs, desks, storage cupboards, planned electrical points, fans, etc., For further details on the design of the library, please refer to

Section 2.9.C.

PART C - THE HANDBOOK

ORGANISATION AND DESIGN OF SPACES OF THE COURT COMPLEX

2.6.

Facilities for Advocates

B. Chambers for the Public Prosecutors and Government Pleaders

While Court Complexes are not obligated to provide dedicated space for a separate Bar Association building, ideally space must be provided to set up rooms within the Court Complex for empanelled Advocates, including government pleaders and public prosecutors.

(Assistant) Public Prosecutors (“PP”) and (Assistant) Government Pleaders (“GP”) are officers of the Court who are responsible for undertaking proceedings on behalf of the State. The spaces they occupy play a pivotal role in ensuring seamless coordination and effective legal representation.

Adequate space must therefore be provided for the PP/GP, office spaces for other empanelled lawyers, their staff, and the litigants and general public visiting their offices.

The design of these Chambers must provide adequate space for all legal professionals and litigants, ensuring coordination, privacy, and ease of access.

Figure 55: Typical floor plan for Chambers of the PP/GP

References

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