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01 Aug 2025, 02:22 PM
In a major development, the Bombay High Court will finally get Bench for the Western Maharashtra at Kolhapur district, which will be the fourth bench of the High Court, from August 18.
A notification to this effect, was issued by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe on Friday (August 1).
"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of Section 51 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (No. 37 of 1956), and all other powers enabling me in this behalf, I Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, with the approval of the Governor of Maharashtra, appoint Kolhapur as a place at which Judges and Division Courts of the High Court may also sit, with effect from 18th August 2025," the notification reads.
According to sources, by Monday (August 4) it would be clear as to how many judges would be sitting at the Kolhapur bench, which is likely to be inaugurated by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Gavai.
Notably, Bombay High Court at present has a bench in Mumbai - its principal seat, and two separate benches at Nagpur and Aurangabad. A third bench of the High Court is at Goa. Now Kolhapur will be the fourth bench.
It would also not be out of place to mention that there have been demands for a seat at Kolhapur from last 20 plus years for easing the burden of litigants and lawyers, who had to travel all the to Mumbai, the principal seat, which presently has jurisdiction.
The Kolhapur bench is likely to have jurisdiction over six districts - Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
Welcoming the development, advocate Uday Warunjikar, the member of the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG) said, "This bench for western Maharashtra and southern Konkan and it will help all litigants to enforce their right to have a speedy justice. This is second attempt to make decentralisation of High Court. Nagpur bench was already in existence but Aurangabad (Sambhajinagar) bench was established in 1982 . I welcome establishment of Kolhapur bench."