In Brief
A public interest petition challenged a notification designating Kolhapur as an additional sitting place for the Bombay High Court. The petitioner argued this amounted to creating a permanent bench without following required constitutional procedures. The Supreme Court held that Section 51(3) of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 grants the Chief Justice independent power—with gubernatorial approval—to designate additional places of sitting. This is distinct from establishing permanent benches under Section 51(2). The Court found the designation does not effect territorial bifurcation, does not require Full Court consultation, and advances access to justice for geographically distant districts. Past rejections of similar proposals do not create an estoppel. The Court dismissed the petition, reaffirming that judicial administration decisions rest with the Chief Justice within statutory limits and are subject only to limited judicial review.
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