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yesterday

Bombay High Court’s Kolhapur Bench Begins Hearings as CJI Seeks Permanent Elevation

The circuit bench will serve six districts in western Maharashtra to provide faster, more affordable access to justice for litigants.

Kolhapur circuit bench inaugurated, CJI hints at permanent division bench
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Overview

  • Starting August 18, the Kolhapur circuit bench will hear civil and criminal matters under a division bench of Justices M.S. Karnik and Sharmila Deshmukh alongside single benches led by Justices S.G. Dige and S.G. Chapalgaonkar.
  • The bench’s jurisdiction covers Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg to cut travel distances and ease case backlogs for regional litigants.
  • Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai urged Bombay HC Chief Justice Alok Aradhe to send a proposal for elevating the circuit bench to permanent division status during Gavai’s remaining tenure.
  • The court is housed in restored heritage buildings that the Maharashtra PWD renovated in under three weeks, a feat praised by Gavai for combining speed with architectural preservation.
  • Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attended the inauguration, signaling strong state backing for judicial decentralization.