Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has said the state government will fast-track a new High Court campus on 12 to 15 acres at Bengaluru’s Race Course premises, with a decision expected at the next Cabinet meeting.
Speaking at the 34th convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Shivakumar said the government would pursue the project after discussions with the Chief Justice of Karnataka. He also said the foundation-laying ceremony would be completed before the tenure of the incumbent Chief Justice of India ends.
The proposed site is currently occupied by the Bangalore Turf Club. The state government had earlier announced that a resolution would be passed to allocate the land for construction of a new High Court building. Saturday’s announcement indicates that the project is being taken forward through a Cabinet decision and a proposed foundation ceremony.
Shivakumar linked the proposal to Karnataka’s distinctive institutional geography, noting that the existing High Court premises face the legislature. He said the current High Court site had earlier been used by the Assembly for its sessions. The proposed Race Course campus would therefore create a new location for one of the state’s key judicial institutions while retaining the High Court’s place within Bengaluru’s central administrative area.
The announcement did not include an estimated project cost, construction timeline after foundation laying, design details, or information on the process for transferring the Race Course land. Those details will depend on the Cabinet decision and subsequent administrative steps. The state government has not, in the supplied announcement, specified how the existing High Court premises would be used if a new campus is built.
The High Court proposal was announced alongside updates on legal education infrastructure at NLSIU. After laying foundation stones for the university’s south block, a 750-seat auditorium, an 800-seat dining facility and a student centre, the Chief Minister said the state government remained committed to strengthening legal education and institutional infrastructure.
NLSIU Vice-Chancellor Professor Sudhir Krishnaswamy said the university plans to build approximately 700,000 square feet, including 2,000 student rooms and 90 units of faculty and staff residences. A second project will include a new auditorium, student centre and research facilities on an existing campus site.
Shivakumar also announced state support for a dedicated institute to train law graduates for judicial service examinations. He said the government would support a startup law clinic at NLSIU, where students, faculty members and lawyers would provide pro bono legal advice to young entrepreneurs.
The announcements were made as 1,720 students graduated from NLSIU across multiple academic programmes. The university awarded 50 gold medals to 24 graduates, with Manhar Bansal, from the five-year BA LLB programme and a 2026 Rhodes Scholar-Elect, receiving 15 gold medals. The next formal milestone for the High Court campus proposal is the Cabinet meeting cited by the Chief Minister.
