India's judicial system is made up of the Supreme Court of India at the apex of the hierarchy for the entire country and 21 High Courts at the top of the hierarchy in each State. These courts have jurisdiction over a state, a union territory or a group of states and union territories. Below the High Courts are a hierarchy of subordinate courts such as the civil courts, family courts, criminal courts and various other district courts. High Courts are instituted as constitutional courts under Part VI, Chapter V, Article 214 of the Indian Constitution.
The High Courts are the principal civil courts of original jurisdiction in the state along with District Courts which are subordinate to the High courts.However, High courts exercise their original civil and criminal jurisdiction only if the courts subordinate to the High court in the state are not competent (not authorizied by law)to try such matters for lack of pecuniary, territorial jurisdiction. High courts may also enjoy original jurisdiction in certain matters if so designated specifically in a state or Federal law. e.g.: Company law cases are instituted only in a High court. However, primarily the work of most High Courts consists of Appeals from lower courts and writ petitions in terms of Article 226 of the Constitution of India. Writ Jurisdiction is also original jurisdiction of High Court.The precise territorial jurisdiction of each High Court varies. Each state is divided into judicial districts presided over by a 'District and Sessions Judge'. He is known as a District Judge when he presides over a civil case, and a Sessions Judge when he presides over a criminal case. He is the highest judicial authority below a High Court judge. Below him, there are courts of civil jurisdiction, known by different names in different states.
Under Article 141 of the Constitution of India all courts in India which includes High courts are bound by the judgments and orders of the Supreme Court of India by precedence.
Judges in a High Court are appointed by the President of India in consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the governor of the state. High Courts are headed by a Chief Justice. The Chief Justices are ranked #14 (in their state) and #17 (outside their state) in the Indian order of precedence. The number of judges in a court is decided by dividing the average institution of main cases during the last five years by the national average, or the average rate of disposal of main cases per judge per year in that High Court, whichever is higher.
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in the country, established on 2 July 1862. High courts which handle a large number of cases of a particular region, have permanent benches (or a branch of the court) established there. Benches are also present in states which come under the jurisdiction of a court outside its territorial limits. Smaller states with few cases may have circuit benches established. Circuit benches (known as circuit courts in some parts of the world) are temporary courts which hold proceedings for a few selected months in a year. Thus cases built up during this interim period are judged when the circuit court is in session.
The following are the twenty-one High Courts sorted by name, year established, Act by which it was established, jurisdiction, seat of governance (headquarters), benches (branches), and the maximum number of judges sanctioned.
Court name | Established | Act established | Jurisdiction | Seat | Benches | Jud. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allahabad High Court[1] | 1866-06-11 | High Courts Act, 1861 | Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad | Lucknow | 95 |
Andhra Pradesh High Court | 1954-07-05 | Andhra State Act, 1953 | Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad | 39 | |
Bombay High Court | 1862-08-14 | High Courts Act, 1861 | Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu | Mumbai | Nagpur, Panaji, Aurangabad | 60 |
Calcutta High Court | 1862-07-02 | High Courts Act, 1861 | West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Calcutta | Port Blair (circuit bench) | 63 |
Chhattisgarh High Court | 2000-01-11 | Madhya Pradesh Re-organisation Act, 2000 | Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur | 08 | |
Delhi High Court[2] | 1966-10-31 | Delhi High Court Act, 1966 | National Capital Territory of Delhi | New Delhi | 36 | |
Gauhati High Court[3] | 1948-03-01 | Government of India Act, 1935 | Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram | Guwahati | Kohima, Aizwal & Imphal. Circuit Bench at Agartala & Shillong | 27 |
Gujarat High Court | 1960-05-01 | Bombay Re-organsisation Act, 1960 | Gujarat | Ahmedabad | 42 | |
Himachal Pradesh High Court | 1971 | State of H.P. Act, 1970 | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla | 09 | |
Jammu and Kashmir High Court | 1943-08-28 | Letters Patent issued by the Maharaja of Kashmir | Jammu & Kashmir | Srinagar & Jammu[4] | 14 | |
Jharkhand High Court | 2000 | Bihar Re-organisation Act, 2000 | Jharkhand | Ranchi | 12 | |
Karnataka High Court[5] | 1884 | Mysore High Court Act, 1884 | Karnataka | Bangalore | Circuit Benches at Hubli-Dharwad & Gulbarga | 40 |
Kerala High Court[6] | 1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956 | Kerala, Lakshadweep | Kochi | 40 | |
Madhya Pradesh High Court[7] | 1936-01-02 | Government of India Act, 1935 | Madhya Pradesh | Jabalpur | Gwalior, Indore | 42 |
Madras High Court | 1862-08-15 | High Courts Act, 1861 | Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry | Chennai | Madurai | 47 |
Orissa High Court | 1948-04-03 | Orissa High Court Order, 1948 | Orissa | Cuttack | 27 | |
Patna High Court | 1916-09-02 | Government of India Act, 1915 | Bihar | Patna | 43 | |
Punjab and Haryana High Court[8] | 1947-11-08 | High Court (Punjab) Order, 1947 | Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 53 | |
Rajasthan High Court | 1949-06-21 | Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949 | Rajasthan | Jodhpur | Jaipur | 40 |
Sikkim High Court | 1975 | 38th Amendment | Sikkim | Gangtok | 03 | |
Uttarakhand High Court | 2000 | U.P. Re-organisation Act, 2000 | Uttarakhand | Nainital | 09 |
State or UT | Court | City |
---|---|---|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Calcutta High Court | Kolkata |
Arunachal Pradesh | Gauhati High Court | Guwahati |
Andhra Pradesh | Andhra Pradesh High Court | Hyderabad |
Assam | Gauhati High Court | Guwahati |
Bihar | Patna High Court | Patna |
Chhattisgarh | Chhattisgarh High Court | Bilaspur |
Chandigarh | Punjab and Haryana High Court | Chandigarh |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Bombay High Court | Mumbai |
Daman and Diu | Bombay High Court | Mumbai |
National capital territory of Delhi | Delhi High Court | New Delhi |
Goa | Bombay High Court | Mumbai |
Gujarat | Gujarat High Court | Ahmedabad |
Haryana | Punjab and Haryana High Court | Chandigarh |
Himachal Pradesh | Himachal Pradesh High Court | Shimla |
Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu and Kashmir High Court | Srinagar/Jammu |
Jharkhand | Jharkhand High Court | Ranchi |
Karnataka | Karnataka High Court | Bangalore |
Kerala | Kerala High Court | Kochi |
Lakshadweep | Kerala High Court | Kochi |
Madhya Pradesh | Madhya Pradesh High Court | Jabalpur |
Maharashtra | Bombay High Court | Mumbai |
Manipur | Gauhati High Court | Guwahati |
Meghalaya | Gauhati High Court | Guwahati |
Mizoram | Gauhati High Court | Guwahati |
Nagaland | Gauhati High Court | Guwahati |
Orissa | Orissa High Court | Cuttack |
Pondicherry | Madras High Court | Chennai |
Punjab | Punjab and Haryana High Court | Chandigarh |
Rajasthan | Rajasthan High Court | Jodhpur |
Sikkim | Sikkim High Court | Gangtok |
Tamil Nadu | Madras High Court | Chennai |
Tripura | Gauhati High Court | Guwahati |
Uttarakhand | Uttarakhand High Court | Nainital |
Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad High Court | Allahabad |
West Bengal | Calcutta High Court | Kolkata |
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