Total High Courts in India – Oldest, Biggest, Common High Court in India

Total High Courts in India

India has a total of 25 High Courts, each of which is detailed below. The High Court of India consists of one Chief Justice and several Justices appointed by the President of India taking the volume of work into consideration. Among the 25 High Courts, six of them can handle cases pertaining to multiple states or union territories as these high courts come under Article 231.

As per Article 231, there shall be a common high court of India for two or more states or union territories. It is imperative for UPSC aspirants to know the list of high courts in India as several questions, based on it, are asked under the General Awareness section. Steer through the article to learn the list of high courts in India.

List of High Courts in India

On the recommendation of the Law Commission in 1858, the Parliament passed the Indian High Courts Act 1861, which proposed the creation of High Courts in lieu of the Supreme Court in the Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay Presidencies.

Today, India has 25 High Courts that serve as important pillars of the country’s judicial system. Some of which have jurisdiction over more than one state or union territory. The important information on high courts of India, like the year, territorial is provided in the table below:

List of High Courts in India
Year of Establishment	High Court	Act of Establishment	Territorial Jurisdiction	Seat and Bench
1862	Bombay	Indian High Courts Act, 1861	Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar. Haveli, Daman Diu, and Goa	Seat: Mumbai Bench: Panaji, Aurangabad, and Nagpur
1862	Kolkata	Indian High Courts Act, 1861	West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar islands	Seat: Kolkata Bench: Port Blair
1862	Madras	Indian High Courts Act, 1861	Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry	Seat: Chennai Bench: Madurai
1866	Allahabad	Indian High Courts Act, 1861	Uttar Pradesh	Seat: Allahabad Bench: Lucknow
1884	Karnataka	Mysore High Court Act, 1884	Karnataka	Seat: Bengaluru Bench: Dharwad and Gulbarga
1916	Patna	Letters Patent issued by the then British Crown Rule	Bihar	Patna
1948	Guwahati	Government of India Act, 1935	Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh	Seat: Guwahati Bench: Kohima, Aizawl, and Itanagar
1949	Odisha	Orissa High Court Ordinance, 1948	Odisha	Cuttack
1949	Rajasthan	Punjab High Court Ordinance, 1947	Rajasthan	Seat: Jodhpur Bench: Jaipur
1956	Madhya Pradesh	Government of India Act, 1935	Madhya Pradesh	Seat: Jabalpur Bench: Gwalior and Indore
1958	Kerala	States Reorganisation Act, 1956	Kerala & Lakshadweep	Ernakulam
1960	Gujarat	Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960	Gujarat	Ahmedabad
1966	Delhi	Delhi High Court Act, 1966	Delhi	Delhi
1971	Himachal Pradesh	State of Himachal Pradesh Act, 1970	Himachal Pradesh	Shimla
1975	Punjab & Haryana	Punjab High Court Ordinance, 1947	Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh	Chandigarh
1975	Sikkim	The 36th Amendment to the Indian Constitution	Sikkim	Gangtok
2000	Chattisgarh	Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000	Chattisgarh	Bilaspur
2000	Uttarakhand	Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000	Uttarakhand	Nainital
2000	Jharkhand	Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000	Jharkhand	Ranchi
2013	Tripura	North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Acts (Amendment), 2012	Tripura	Agartala
2013	Manipur	North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012	Manipur	Imphal
2013	Meghalaya	North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012	Meghalaya	Shillong
2019	Telangana	Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014	Telangana	Hyderabad
2019	Andhra Pradesh	Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014	Andhra Pradesh	Amravati
2019	Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh	–	Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh	–

List of High Courts in India PDF

Downloading the list of high courts in India PDF and going through it regularly will help you memorize it for a longer period of time. The direct link to download the list of high courts in India PDF is mentioned below for your convenience.

List of High Courts in India PDF

For detailed information on the total high courts in India, get access to this PDF for absolutely free. Keep the high court’s PDF handy for future reference and final revision.

First High Court in India

The First High Court in India is the Calcutta High Court. It was established on 01 July 1862, following the enactment of the Indian High Courts Act of 1861. The High Court of Calcutta was followed by the High Courts of Bombay and Madras in 1862 and 1864, respectively.

These High Courts were established to replace the Supreme Courts that were functioning in these three Presidencies during the British colonial era. These courts were vested with extensive powers and jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters within their respective territories.

25th High Court in India

The Andhra Pradesh High Court is the 25th High Court in India. It is established on 1st January 2019, under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. Earlier, this court was established on 05 December 1956, under the State Recognization Act 1956 which led to the formation of the Andhra Pradesh state by merging the Telugu-speaking areas of the erstwhile state of Madras with the state of Hyderabad.

However, due to the bifurcation of the state into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh was established in 2019.

Common High Courts in India

There are 6 common high courts in India viz., Bombay high court, Madras high court, Kerala high court, Punjab and Haryana high court, Kolkata high court, and Guwahati high court. Their courts have jurisdiction over more than one state or UT. Take a look at the list of common high courts in India in the table below.

No of High Courts in India
Year	Name	Territorial Jurisdiction
1862	Bombay	Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu, and Goa
1862	Kolkata	West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Island
1862	Madras	Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry
1948	Guwahati	Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh
1958	Kerala	Kerala & Lakshadweep
1975	Punjab & Haryana	Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh

Biggest High Court in India

The Chattisgarh High Court is the Biggest High Court in India. Located at Bodri village in Bilaspur, it was established on 01 November 2000 and has jurisdiction over the state of Chhattisgarh. This high court can have up to 22 judges, including 17 permanent judges and 5 additional judges. Thus, it is also the biggest high court in Asia.

However, the Allahabad High Court is considered as Biggest High Court in India in terms of the number of serving judges. It has a sanctioned strength of 160 judges and currently has 112 serving judges. It has jurisdiction over the state of Uttar Pradesh and has its principal seat in Allahabad with additional benches in Lucknow and Prayagraj.

Powers and Functions of the High Court of India

Since you are familiar with the list of high courts in India, you must be wondering about its roles and functions. High Courts in India are very powerful and have a lot of responsibility in the execution of law and order, checking the working of district courts, and implementing sections & constitution with the help of the executive in the state. Check the important functions of the high court in India:

• A High Court may issue writs of habeas corpus, Mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto, and certiorari to uphold Fundamental Rights or for other reasons.
• Supervises other courts: Every High Court in India has the authority to supervise all Courts and Tribunals within the regions over which it has jurisdiction.
• Appoints District Judges: The Governor consults with the High Court to appoint District judges and then the final decision is announced. Additionally, it is reviewed when choosing candidates for other State Judicial Service positions.
• Control over lower courts: The High Court has jurisdiction over district courts and courts below them, including the posting, promotion, and granting of leave to members of a State’s judicial service who occupy any position under that of the district judge.
• Other original and appellate powers: The Codes of Civil and Criminal Procedure and the Letters of Patent grant the High Court original and appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal issues.
• Case transfer authority: The High Court may withdraw a case from the originally filed court if it determines that it involves a significant constitutional law question that must be resolved to resolve the case. Alternatively, it may decide the constitutional law question and return the case to the court it was originally filed, along with a copy of its decision.

List of High Court in India: Things to Remember

In the IAS exam, candidates need to write a comprehensive answer to score well in the exam. Therefore, here we present you with additional information on High Court in India. Besides learning the list of high courts in India, you must remember these terminologies and pointers as it will clear your concepts and you will have a better grasp of the topic.

• The President appoints the Chief Justice of the High Court after consultation with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Governor.
• A circuit bench is used in remote areas when there aren’t enough cases to warrant a full-fledged permanent bench.
• Because of this, some justices visit certain regions once or twice a year to handle all the High Court appeals from that region.
• One or more High Court justices who sit year-round at a place other than the High Court’s regular seat make up a permanent bench.
• A matter is heard and decided by at least two judges on a division bench.

UPSC Notes
Indian Judiciary	International Court of Justice
Contempt of Court Act	Subordinate Court
Important Supreme Court Judgements	Rule of Law
Chief Minister of India	Important Committees and Commissions in India