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List of High Court of India, Check Out History and Salary

The State Judicial System consists of a High Court and a network of lower courts. On the recommendation of the Law Commission, the Indian High Courts Act 1861, which was enacted in 1858, proposed the formation of High Courts in the three Presidency cities of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay in place of the Supreme Court. The High Court of Calcutta issued a charter in May 1862, and the High Courts of Madras and Bombay followed suit in June 1862. As a result, the Calcutta High Court was established as the first High Court in the nation. The Constitution establishes the organizational structure and legal groundwork for the High Courts.

What is High Court ?

The highest courts at the state level are known as the High Courts of India, but they are part of the Indian Judiciary. They act under the Supreme Court’s supervision, guidance, and control. The Chief Justice of the High Court, the Governor of the State, and the President of India select High Court judges.

High Court Important points:
  • There are 25 High Courts in India.
  • The age limit for High Court judges is 62 years.
  • High Courts have jurisdiction over states or union territories (more than one).
  • A joint High Court for the states of Punjab and Haryana is located in Chandigarh.
  • The Chief Justice of each High Court is joined by other judges who the President appoints.
  • Allahabad High Court has the most judges, with a total of 81.
  • Calcutta High Court is the oldest, established on July 1, 1862.
  • In March 2013, three new High Courts were inaugurated: Meghalaya, Manipur (March 25), and Tripura (March 26).
  • The High Court of Andhra Pradesh is the newer of the two, starting in 2018. The High Court for Telangana was established a year later, in 2019.

List of High Courts in India

Here’s the complete list of High Court of India from all states:

Year Name Territorial Jurisdiction Seat & Bench
1862 Bombay High Court Maharashtra Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu Goa Seat: Mumbai Bench: Panaji, Aurangabad, and Nagpur
1862 Kolkata High Court West Bengal Andaman & Nicobar islands Seat: Kolkata Bench: Port Blair
1862 Madras High Court Tamil Nadu Pondicherry Seat: Chennai Bench: Madurai
1866 Allahabad High Court Uttar Pradesh Seat: Allahabad Bench: Lucknow
1884 Karnataka High Court Karnataka Seat: Bengaluru Bench: Dharwad and Gulbarga
1916 Patna High Court Bihar Patna
1948 Guwahati High Court Assam Nagaland Mizoram Arunachal Pradesh Seat: Guwahati Bench: Kohima, Aizawl, and Itanagar
1949 Odisha High Court Odisha Cuttack
1949 Rajasthan High Court Rajasthan Seat: Jodhpur Bench: Jaipur
1956 Madhya Pradesh High Court Madhya Pradesh Seat: Jabalpur Bench: Gwalior and Indore
1958 Kerala High Court Kerala & Lakshadweep Ernakulam
1960 Gujarat High Court Gujarat Ahmedabad
1966 Delhi High Court Delhi Delhi
1971 Himachal Pradesh High Court Himachal Pradesh Shimla
1975 Punjab & Haryana High Court Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh Chandigarh
1975 Sikkim High Court Sikkim Gangtok
2000 Chattisgarh High Court Chattisgarh Bilaspur
2000 Uttarakhand High Court Uttarakhand Nainital
2000 Jharkhand High Court Jharkhand Ranchi
2013 Tripura High Court Tripura Agartala
2013 Manipur High Court Manipur Imphal
2013 Meghalaya High Court Meghalaya Shillong
2019 Telangana High Court Telangana Hyderabad
2019 Andhra Pradesh High Court Andhra Pradesh Amravati
2019 Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court (Note: In 1928, Jammu & Kashmir high court was established. Post-bi-furcation of J&K into two union territories; there is now a common high court.) Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh –

How many High Courts are there in India?

In India, there are 25 High Courts. The Indian High Courts Act of 1861 was passed in 1858, recommending the formation of High Courts in place of the Supreme Court for Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. The Calcutta High Court received its charter in May 1862, while Madras and Bombay followed in June 1862. This was done to create a separate judicial body for different states. After independence, Article 214 of the Indian Constitution required each state to have its own High Court, with specific guidelines for appointing judges. The legal system changed significantly after independence, moving away from British rules to those found in the Indian Penal Code.

Which is the Newest High Court of India?

The most recent High Court in India was established in Andhra Pradesh on January 1, 2019. Under British rule, each High Court had a Chief Justice and up to 15 other judges. However, the structure of Indian High Courts has changed over time.

  • The President shall appoint the Chief Justice of each High Court.
  • Unlike before, each High Court might appoint an unlimited number of judges.
  • Additional judges may also be appointed to adjudicate matters that are still pending in court. But they are only allowed to serve for a maximum of two years.

One thing to keep in mind is that no one can be appointed as a High Court Judge if they are over the age of 62. The High Court’s do not all have the same number of judges assigned to them. Comparatively speaking, a smaller state will have fewer judges than a larger state.

High Court of India Jurisdiction

The High Court is the state’s highest appeals court and has the authority to interpret the Constitution. It is responsible for defending citizens’ fundamental rights. Additionally, it performs consulting and managerial functions. However, the Constitution makes no specific mention of the authority and jurisdiction of a high court.

Original Jurisdiction

In such cases, there’s no need to file an appeal; the applicant can go directly to the High Court. This usually involves matters related to the State Legislative Assembly, marriages, enforcing fundamental rights, and transferring cases from other courts.

Power of Superintendence

The High Court has special powers that other courts do not have. It can instruct its subordinate offices and courts to set rules for handling cases and to determine the fees for sheriff clerks, officers, and lawyers.

Court of Record

It involves permanently preserving the decisions, actions, and acts of high courts on record. No court will allow further discussion of these records. It is able to impose punishment for self-disrespect.

Control over Subordinate Courts

The appellate and supervisory jurisdictions are extended in this way. It stipulates that if a matter contains a substantial legal question, the High Court may withdraw it from any subordinate court. The case may be resolved on its own or by resolving the legal issue and returning to the same court.

Appellate Jurisdiction

This is for situations where someone has complained about the district courts or the territory’s subordinate court’s decision being reviewed. The following two categories further divide this power:

  • Civil jurisdiction: District court, civil district court, and subordinate court decisions and judgments fall within the category of civil jurisdiction.
  • Criminal Jurisdiction: This covers decisions and orders rendered by the session court and any further session courts.

Power of Judicial Review

This authority of the High Court also extends to the ability to judge whether state and federal legislative and executive directives are lawful. It should be emphasized that although our constitution doesn’t use the term “judicial review,” Articles 13 and 226 plainly grant the High Court this authority.

Writ Jurisdiction of High Court

A high court is authorized by the Constitution’s Article 226 to issue writs, such as quo warranto, quo mandamus, certiorari, prohibition, and habeas corpus, to uphold citizens’ fundamental rights and for any other reason.

Appointment of Judges to the High Courts of India

The President of India appoints judges to the High Court. Any judge appointed to a High Court must be approved by him alone. He may, however, speak with the state’s governor, the acting chief justice of India, and the chief justice of the state’s high court. Additionally, a High Court judge may be transferred to other High Courts. The Chief Justice of India will make the final decision. The goal of judge transfers is to guarantee fair and proper adjudication of each case heard in a court of law.

Eligibility for High Court Judge

To be appointed as a judge in a High Court, a candidate must meet one of the following qualifications:

  • Have more than five years of experience as a lawyer.
  • Have worked for the government for over ten years, with at least three years in a Zila (district) court.
  • Have been a party to a case in a High Court for more than ten years.
  • Be under the age of 62.

High Court Jurisdictions

While the law requires each state to have its own High Court, some states share a High Court. For example:

  • The Punjab High Court serves both Punjab and Haryana.
  • Seven northeastern states (Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram) share a common High Court.

Articles related to High Court

High Court: Articles
  • Article 214: Each state shall have a High Court.
  • Article 215: High Courts are courts of record, meaning their judgments and proceedings are permanently recorded and they can punish for contempt.
  • Article 216: Each High Court consists of a Chief Justice and other judges appointed by the President.
  • Article 217: Judges are appointed by the President. The Chief Justice is appointed after consulting the Chief Justice of India and the state’s Governor. Other judges are appointed after consulting the Chief Justice of India, the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court, and the state’s Governor.
  • Article 219: Judges must take an oath before assuming office.
  • Article 220: Permanent judges cannot practice in any court except the Supreme Court and other High Courts.
  • Article 221: Parliament determines judges’ salaries, which cannot be reduced after their appointment except in a financial emergency.
  • Article 222: The President can transfer judges between High Courts after consulting the Chief Justice of India.
  • Article 223: In case the Chief Justice is absent, other judges may perform their duties.
  • Article 224: The President can appoint additional or acting judges during a temporary increase in workload.
  • Article 224A: The Chief Justice can request a retired judge to act temporarily in a High Court with the President’s consent.
  • Article 225: High Courts have original, appellate, and supervisory jurisdiction and can control subordinate courts.
  • Article 226: High Courts can issue writs (like habeas corpus, mandamus) for enforcing fundamental rights.
  • Article 227: High Courts supervise all courts in their territory, excluding military courts.
  • Article 228: High Courts can withdraw cases from subordinate courts involving substantial questions of law.
  • Article 229: The Chief Justice appoints officers and staff of the High Court.
  • Article 230: The Parliament can establish a common High Court for multiple states or union territories.
  • Article 231: The Parliament is authorized to create a common High Court for two or more states.

Salaries of Judges

A judge of the High Court is entitled, under Article 221, to the pension and leave-of-absence benefits that Parliament may occasionally decide upon. After a Judge is appointed, nevertheless, this cannot be altered to his detriment.

Designation Past Salary After Increment
Chief Justice of the High Court 90,000 2,50,000
Other Judges of the High Court 80,000 2,25,000

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FAQs

How many High courts in India?

In India, there are 25 High Courts, with six having jurisdiction over several States or UTs.

Which state has 2 High Court?

More than two states are subject to the jurisdiction of the high court’s in Mumbai and Guwahati. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram are included in the jurisdiction of the Guwahati High Court.

Are there 26 high courts in India?

In India, there are 25 High Courts. The Calcutta High Court is India's first High Court, having been founded in 1862. In the same year, the high court’s in Bombay and Madras were also formed. The Telangana Court and the Andhra Pradesh High Court, both of which were founded in 2019, are the two newest High Courts.

Which is the largest High Court in India?

Allahabad High Court is the largest court in India

Which is latest High Court in India?

According to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014, the two newest high courts, the Andhra High Court and Telangana High Court, were constituted on January 1, 2019.