The Punjab and Haryana High Court was on Friday told that the consultant engaged for High Court’s infrastructural expansion and holistic development was still in the process of preparing a heritage impact assessment report—a key prerequisite in view of the site’s UNESCO-protected heritage character.At the onset, the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu was told the heritage impact report was yet to be prepared. Taking a note of the submissions, the court directed the counsel for the UT Administration to “ensure all possible assistance, financial or otherwise, for ensuring that the heritage impact report was prepared timely. The case will now come up for further hearing on February 18     The Bench, on the previous date of hearing, was told on behalf of the High Court Bar Association that heritage impact assessment was to be done by the consultant and had already started working on itThe development is significant as the High Court’s original building, an iconic structure designed by Le Corbusier, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh. The entire Capitol Complex, including the HC block, stands nominated and protected under the World Heritage framework. Keeping with this requirement, the concept note for the proposed expansion of the HC complex has now been submitted to the Foundation Le Corbusier.The latest development builds on momentum generated earlier this month when the Chandigarh Administration issued a letter of intent to a consultant for conducting a heritage impact assessment and preparing the concept note.The High Court has repeatedly flagged the crippling impact of infrastructure shortages. Despite a sanctioned strength of 85 judges, only 69 courtrooms are functional. “This dissuades the High Court from working at full strength,” Chief Justice Nagu had earlier observed, urging the Administration “to take a pragmatic view and allow the High Court to expand in terms of infrastructure by giving approval to the holistic plan, be it restrictively.”In a detailed order passed on December 5, 2025, the Bench had described the shortage of space as “extreme”, tracing the expansion plan back to 2014. Though the detailed project report was approved in principle in July 2020, the project remained stalled over heritage objections even as pendency and judges’ strength steadily rose. The court at that time also recorded that Registry staff were working in cramped and poorly ventilated rooms, with files and records lying on the floor.