Annexe Building, High Court of Madhya Pradesh

The High Court of Madhya Pradesh sits in Jabalpur in one of the finest public buildings of central India, a historic Court building in the Indo-Gothic style. The Annexe gives the Court the space it needs today, inside the same precinct, without breaking the character of the place.

A narrow site in a historic precinct

The site was difficult: a narrow strip of land within the existing Court Campus, occupied by older structures that had to be cleared before work could begin. The building had to fit the space available, connect with the working Court around it, and keep the Court running throughout.

Matching the old, not copying it

This was not only a design exercise. The aim was for the precinct to feel unchanged, so the Annexe takes its language from the historic High Court: a rhythm of towers with pointed roofs, tall pointed-arch windows, round oculi, arcades at the base and a careful order of bays along the front. Behind that familiar face is a modern Court building of two basements, a ground floor and eight upper floors.

Inside the Annexe

• About 30 courtrooms, each with the judge’s chamber, ante room and staff rooms beside it
• Separate corridors and lift cores for judges and for the public
• A Court for the Chief Justice, a full Court meeting room and offices for the Registry
• An Auditorium for about 500 people, a multipurpose hall, bar rooms and lounges for advocates
• Parking in two basements

The foundation stone was laid by the President of India on 27 September 2023.