The High Court was the first of the Capitol Complex buildings to be completed, finished in 1955. Le Corbusier raised the courtrooms on a deep portico and painted the three structural piers in bold green, yellow and red, an unexpectedly playful gesture at the front of a building dedicated to judicial gravity.
The double roof — a thin shell parasol floating above the main slab — was a direct answer to the brutal Punjab summer, channelling rainwater and shading the courts beneath. Inside, monumental tapestries designed by Le Corbusier hang in the courtrooms; some are visible during guided tours of the Capitol Complex. The portico is a popular spot for photos because the colours and the scale of the entrance reward a few minutes of slow looking.