Known to be the oldest High Court in India, the Calcutta High Court has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The court has sanctioned judge strength of 72.
History of Calcutta High Court
Established on 1st July, 1862 under the High Court"s Act of 1861, the Calcutta High Court is known to be one of the three High Courts in India that was established at the Presidency Towns by Letters patent granted by Queen Victoria. Initially, it was known as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William and was preceded by the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William. Situated in the city of Kolkata, whose name was officially changed on 2001, the Court retained its old name. However in 2016, the bill to rename it as the Kolkata High Court was passed but the High Court still retains the old name.
Architecture of Calcutta High Court
The neo-Gothic building of the Calcutta High Court was constructed in 1872, almost a decade after its establishment as a court. The design of Calcutta High Court is based on the Cloth Hall, Ypres, in Belgium. It was designed by the then government architect Walter Granville.
Jurisdiction of Calcutta High Court
As per the Calcutta High Court (Extension of Jurisdiction) Act, 1953, the Calcutta High Court`s jurisdiction was extended to cover Chandannagar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as of 2nd May, 1950. The Calcutta High Court extended its Circuit Bench in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal, the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal.
Justices of Calcutta High Court
Barnes Peacock was the first Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court. He assumed the charge when the court was founded on 1st July 1862. Romesh Chandra Mitter was the first Indian officiating Chief Justice and Phani Bhushan Chakravartti was the first Indian permanent Chief Justice of the court. The longest serving Chief Justice was Sankar Prasad Mitra. The current serving Chief Justice is Shri Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan, who was appointed in office on 4th April, 2019.
