CJI Gavai praised the Maharashtra government, stating it is at the forefront of efforts to provide infrastructure for the judiciary, highlighting the new Bombay High Court Kolhapur bench.
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MUMBAI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Sunday inaugurated the new circuit bench of the Bombay High Court in Kolhapur district, fulfilling a long-standing demand of lawyers and litigants from western Maharashtra and Konkan.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, who were praised for their proactive role in ensuring infrastructure for the judiciary.
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Addressing the gathering, CJI Gavai dismissed claims that the state government was lagging in providing judicial infrastructure.
“Some remarks were made by certain persons that Maharashtra government is behind in providing infrastructure for the judiciary. This is wrong. Maharashtra has always been at the forefront,”
CJI Gavai asserted.
He praised the state’s commitment, noting that the Kolhapur bench building was completed in record time, something he described as “making the impossible possible.”
For decades, lawyers and litigants from Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg had to travel nearly 380 km to Mumbai to seek justice. The new bench will ease this burden, ensuring quicker access to justice for people across six districts.
CJI Gavai emphasized that ordinary citizens should not be forced to travel long distances for their rights, reiterating his long-standing support for a Kolhapur bench.
Interestingly, the CJI also responded to growing demands for a High Court bench in Pune. While acknowledging the requests, he clarified that such a move was unlikely since the demand had come primarily from a section of lawyers and not from common citizens.
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The new Kolhapur circuit bench, which becomes operational from August 18, will function with one division bench and two single benches.
- Division Bench: Justices M S Karnik and Sharmila Deshmukh
Will hear Public Interest Litigations (PILs), civil writ petitions, family court appeals, contempt appeals, first appeals, and other civil and criminal matters.
- Single Bench (Criminal): Justice S G Dige
Will handle criminal appeals, bail applications, revision applications, and related criminal matters.
- Single Bench (Civil): Justice S G Chapalgaonkar
Will preside over civil writ petitions, civil applications, and other single-judge civil matters.
With this addition, the Bombay High Court now has four benches apart from its principal seat in Mumbai:
- Nagpur (Vidarbha region)
- Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) (Marathwada region)
- Goa (adjoining state)
- Kolhapur (covering western Maharashtra & Konkan)
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