Court Buildings & Legal Architecture

1958

Supreme Court of India, Tilak Marg

A building shaped like scales

The Supreme Court building in New Delhi, designed by Ganesh Bhikaji Deolalikar in an Indo-British style, stands on a triangular plot. Its plan represents the scales of justice: the central wing with the Chief Justice's court (Court No. 1) is the beam, and the two side wings are the pans. A 27.6-metre dome crowns the central wing. The Court moved here in 1958.

• Architect: Ganesh Bhikaji Deolalikar.
• Plan represents the scales of justice.

1872

Calcutta High Court Building

Gothic in red brick

The Calcutta High Court's neo-Gothic building, completed in 1872 and designed by Walter L.B. Granville, is modelled on the medieval Cloth Hall at Ypres in Belgium. The original Cloth Hall was destroyed in the First World War and later rebuilt.

• Architect: Walter Granville.
• Modelled on the Cloth Hall, Ypres.

1878

Bombay High Court Building

Gothic Revival on the Oval

The Bombay High Court building, completed in 1878 and designed by Colonel James A. Fuller, is part of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2018). Figures of Justice and Mercy stand on its western tower, and its carvings include a famous monkey judge.

• Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2018).
• Designed by Col. James A. Fuller.

1892

Madras High Court Building

Indo-Saracenic splendour

The Madras High Court, designed by J.W. Brassington and Henry Irwin in the Indo-Saracenic style and completed in 1892, is one of the largest court complexes in the world. Its tower served as a lighthouse from 1894 until 1977. The building was shelled by the German cruiser Emden in September 1914.

• Its tower was a working lighthouse until 1977.
• Shelled by the SMS Emden in 1914.

1916

Allahabad High Court Building

A classical court

The present Allahabad High Court building in Prayagraj, opened in 1916, is a large neoclassical structure. The court had moved to Allahabad from Agra in 1869.

1950s

The Capitol Complex, Chandigarh

Le Corbusier's High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court is part of Le Corbusier's Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, with the Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat. Its raw concrete (béton brut) building with a giant parasol roof is part of "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier", a transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site (2016).

• UNESCO World Heritage Site (2016).

1913

The Peace Palace, The Hague

Neo-Renaissance home of the World Court

Designed by the French architect Louis Cordonnier, the Peace Palace was funded by Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1913. Many countries donated materials and works of art for its interior, reflecting the idea of a shared home for international law.

• Architect: Louis Cordonnier.

1935

US Supreme Court Building

Equal Justice Under Law

Designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1935, the neoclassical US Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., bears the words "Equal Justice Under Law" on its west pediment. Before 1935 the Court sat in the Capitol.

• Architect: Cass Gilbert.
• "Equal Justice Under Law".

1882

Royal Courts of Justice, London

Victorian Gothic on the Strand

Opened by Queen Victoria in 1882, the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand, designed by George Edmund Street, house the High Court and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. Street died before it was completed, reportedly worn out by the work.

• Architect: George Edmund Street.

1907 (current building)

The Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court

The Central Criminal Court in London, known as the Old Bailey after the street it stands on, has hosted many famous trials, including those of Oscar Wilde, Madan Lal Dhingra and Udham Singh. A gilded statue of Lady Justice, holding a sword and scales but without a blindfold, stands on its dome.

• Its Lady Justice is not blindfolded.

1097

Westminster Hall

The oldest part of Parliament

Built in 1097 under William II, Westminster Hall was for centuries the seat of England's highest courts. It hosted the trials of William Wallace (1305), Thomas More (1535), Charles I (1649) and Warren Hastings (1788–95).

• Trials of Thomas More, Charles I and Warren Hastings.

1883

Palais de Justice, Brussels

One of the largest buildings of the 19th century

Designed by Joseph Poelaert and completed in 1883, the Palace of Justice in Brussels was one of the largest buildings constructed in the 19th century. Its construction displaced part of the Marolles neighbourhood, and "architect" became a local insult.

1945–46

Courtroom 600, Nuremberg

Where the Nazi leaders were tried

The International Military Tribunal sat in Courtroom 600 of the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, chosen partly because it had survived the war largely intact and had an attached prison. It remained a working courtroom until 2020 and is now part of the Memorium Nuremberg Trials museum.

2004

Constitutional Court of South Africa

A court on a prison

South Africa's Constitutional Court in Johannesburg is built on the site of the Old Fort prison complex, where Gandhi and Mandela were both once held. Bricks from the demolished awaiting-trial block were used in its walls.

• Built on the Old Fort prison, where Gandhi and Mandela were held.

1927 and 2023

Parliament Buildings, New Delhi

Samvidhan Sadan and the new Sansad Bhavan

The circular Parliament House (1927), designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, housed the Constituent Assembly and Parliament until 2023, when Parliament moved to the new triangular building designed by Bimal Patel. The old building was renamed Samvidhan Sadan.

• Old building renamed Samvidhan Sadan (2023).

1868

Attara Kacheri, Bengaluru

Eighteen offices

The red Greco-Roman Attara Kacheri ("eighteen offices") in Bengaluru, built in 1868 to house government departments, has been home to the Karnataka High Court since 1956. It stands opposite the Vidhana Soudha.

1916

Patna High Court Building

A neo-Palladian landmark

Built for the Patna High Court, which was established in 1916, the building is known for its white neo-classical façade.

Tis Hazari Courts Complex

One of the largest district court complexes in Asia

Its name ("thirty thousand") is linked by tradition to the Sikh general Baghel Singh's army that camped there; it houses many of Delhi's trial courts.

1966

Delhi High Court Building

Home of the High Court of Delhi

The Delhi High Court was established in 1966; its building on Sher Shah Road stands close to India Gate.

1570s

Middle Temple Hall

Where Twelfth Night was first recorded as performed

The Elizabethan hall of the Middle Temple, with its double hammer-beam roof, hosted a performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in 1602.

1796

The Four Courts

The seat of Ireland's superior courts

Designed by James Gandon, it was shelled at the start of the Irish Civil War in 1922, destroying the Public Record Office.

Medieval

Palais de Justice, Paris

Where Marie Antoinette was tried

On the Île de la Cité, the former royal palace housed the Revolutionary Tribunal; many courts moved to a new tower in 2018.

1939

Old Supreme Court Building, Singapore

Now part of the National Gallery Singapore

The last classical building of the British Empire in Singapore; it became part of the National Gallery in 2015.

1980

High Court of Australia Building

A concrete and glass "Palace of Justice" in Canberra

Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 beside Lake Burley Griffin.

1993

Supreme Court of Pakistan Building

Designed by Kenzo Tange

The Japanese architect designed the court on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad.

1992

Supreme Court of Israel Building

Light and justice in Jerusalem stone

Funded by the Rothschild family, its architecture uses light to symbolise the Psalm "Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven".

1995

Human Rights Building

Home of the European Court of Human Rights

Designed by Richard Rogers, its two drums represent the court and the Council of Europe's commission.

1973

Court of Justice of the EU, Kirchberg

The EU's court complex

The court's buildings on the Kirchberg plateau include golden towers added in the 2000s.

2015

ICC Permanent Premises

The International Criminal Court's own building

Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the ICC moved in December 2015 from temporary premises.

1985

Palace of Justice, Bogotá

Scene of a deadly siege

In November 1985, guerrillas of the M-19 group seized the building; the military assault that followed killed about a hundred people, including eleven Supreme Court judges.

1969

Federal Constitutional Court Building, Karlsruhe

Glass pavilions for a transparent court

Designed by Paul Baumgarten, its glass walls were meant to symbolise openness in the new German democracy.