A landslide-prone hillside and gridlocked tourist traffic are no place for a High Court — and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took that argument directly to the Union government in New Delhi on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, meeting Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav to press for a critical forest land clearance that could finally move the state's apex court off the slopes of Nainital.

Why Nainital's hilltop court is running out of road

The Uttarakhand High Court has been seated in Nainital since the state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh under the Uttarakhand Reorganisation Act, 2000. But the location, nestled at the foothills of China Peak, has aged poorly. CM Dhami told the Union Minister that the complex faces a trifecta of structural hazards: persistent landslide risk, relentless year-round tourist movement, and chronic parking and access gridlock that directly disrupts court functioning. Nainital's identity as a premier hill resort is, paradoxically, the court's biggest operational liability.

The congestion is not seasonal. The Chief Minister emphasised that litigants, lawyers, and judges navigate the same choked roads as holiday-makers every single day of the year — a situation incompatible with a modern, high-functioning judicial institution.

Lamachaur, Haldwani: the proposed new home

The state government has identified the Lamachaur area of Haldwani as the site for a permanent High Court campus. Haldwani sits in the plains of the Kumaon region, well-connected to national highways and arterial roads — a sharp contrast to the narrow hill approaches to Nainital. CM Dhami argued that the proposed site would offer judges, advocates, litigants, and the general public vastly improved access, adequate parking, and room for future expansion of judicial infrastructure that the current hilltop campus simply cannot accommodate.

There is, however, one non-negotiable hurdle: the Lamachaur site falls on reserved forest land. That makes the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change the indispensable gatekeeper. Without a formal forest land diversion under the Forest Conservation Act, no construction can begin. Dhami asked Bhupendra Yadav to fast-track the proposal for transfer and diversion of that reserved forest land.

The Supreme Court clock ticking in the background

The meeting carries added urgency because of a standing Supreme Court of India order — referenced by CM Dhami during the discussions — that has already directed the state to provide land for a new High Court building within a stipulated timeline and ensure its formal handover. That apex-court deadline transforms this from a routine infrastructure proposal into a compliance obligation. Delay in securing the forest clearance risks the state falling foul of the country's highest judicial authority — a politically and legally untenable position.

This dynamic is not unique to Uttarakhand. Himalayan states with high forest cover routinely face this friction: the need to modernise or relocate public institutions butting up against the stringent requirements of central environmental law. The outcome here — approval, conditional approval, or rejection — will set a practical precedent for how quickly such transitions can move.

Yadav's assurance — and what happens next

Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav responded positively, offering what the Chief Minister's Office described as an assurance of 'positive and prompt action' on the proposal. That is an assurance, not an order. The formal process — scrutiny by the Forest Advisory Committee, site inspection, and statutory compliance checks — still lies ahead.

CM Dhami stated that the state government is treating the procedural steps as a priority, with continuous coordination underway with the central government and all relevant departments. A modern, permanent High Court campus, he said, will not only strengthen Uttarakhand's judicial infrastructure but make court services more accessible and efficient for every citizen of the state.

The forest clearance file is now in New Delhi. Whether Bhupendra Yadav's assurance translates into a swift formal approval will determine whether Uttarakhand's highest court gets the modern home it has long needed — or stays marooned on a landslide-risk hillside for years to come.