Kochi, Aug 26 (IANS): Outgoing Kerala High Court judge Justice Alexander Thomas has urged the state government to expand the existing court building to meet its growing needs.

Justice Thomas, who also served as the acting Chief Justice briefly, made this request at his farewell speech. He said that the expansion would also benefit other related institutions of the High Court such as the Kerala Legal Services Authority (KELSA) and the mediation centre.

He is set to retire on September 3 but since the court is closed for Onam vacation and will reopen only on September 4, Friday happened to be his last working day.

"Our High Court has made a consistent plea to the state government authorities at the higher level that 17.73 acres near Mangalavanam, which is currently under the possession of the Kerala State Housing Board, be allotted to meet the expansion needs," he said.

"It does not require any elaborate expression that the needs of the judiciary in carrying out sovereign functions would certainly far outweigh the proposed requirement of any such commercial venture which can easily be accommodated in other lands that may be allotted by the government in other nearby areas in Ernakulam, Kalamassery, Kakkanad, etc," said the Justice.

He said that in his time as Acting Chief Justice, he had written a letter to Chief Minister Pinararyi Vijayan, urging him to ensure that 17.73 acres near the Mangalavanam area is allotted to the High Court for its immediate development requirements.

Interestingly, his statement comes at a time when there are proposals to move the High Court from its present campus to another locality - the suburb of Kalamassery.

Hence, additional land would be required, he stated.

He pointed out that the concerns regarding the eco-sensitive nature of the Mangalavanam area had been addressed by the Supreme Court in a recent judgment.

Thomas was sworn in as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Kerala on January 23, 2014, he was appointed as a Permanent Judge on March 10, 2016.