The Raika Dilemma

What began as an infrastructure proposal now asks deeper questions about land use, legal consistency, and public trust.

- Shahid Ahmed Hakla Poonchi

The argument over Raika Forest began as a planning file and grew into something far bigger.

What started in 2019 as a proposal to relocate the Jammu wing of the High Court from Janipur to the outskirts of the city has now become a test of how India thinks about development, ecology, and fairness in the same breath.

The land in question sits in Jammu district, but the questions it raises travel far beyond the region.

At first glance, the government's case appears straightforward.

The existing High Court complex at Janipur, built more than two decades ago, struggles to meet the demands of a growing judicial system. Caseloads have expanded, the number of judges has increased, and court infrastructure across the country is under pressure to modernize.

Raika, officials say, offers space for a purpose-built complex with room to grow, without the constraints of an already crowded city center.

That reasoning has found supporters who believe strong institutions need physical room to function.

Courts shape public trust in the system, and better facilities, they argue, improve access to justice, efficiency, and working conditions for everyone involved.

Seen from this angle, the proposal feels like an administrative decision driven by future needs rather than present sentiment.

The opposition sees a very different picture.

Raika Forest is one of Jammu's last remaining urban green spaces, spread across 813 kanals and home to more than 38,000 trees. This is not scrubland waiting for concrete.

The forest holds over 150 species of trees and shrubs, including Phullai, Shisham, Jamun, Khair, Babul, Dhaman, Siris, Chir Pine, Pansar, and Katari. These trees regulate temperature, hold soil in place, and support a web of life that has grown over decades.