Akhya Pandey
On 18th August 2025, Chief Justice of India B.R Gavai formally inaugurated the Circuit Bench of the Bombay High Court at Kolhapur, a milestone that lawyers and citizens from western Maharashtra had been waiting for since the 1980s. For more than four decades, litigants from Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg were compelled to travel to Mumbai to pursue their cases in the High Court. The new bench now brings justice closer to their homes, sparing them both the heavy expense and the exhausting travel that came with every hearing.
Justice Gavai’s speech at the ceremony was personal and heartfelt. He recalled how in 2019, soon after being elevated to the Supreme Court, a senior advocate from Sindhudurg reminded him of the demand for a Kolhapur bench and urged him not to let the cause fade. That request, he said, became a promise he carried with him, and on this day, it was finally fulfilled. Justice Gavai spoke about the constitutional vision of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, reminding the audience that political democracy cannot truly exist unless it is backed by social and economic justice. For him, setting up this bench was not just about convenience but about upholding the Constitution’s promise of equal access to justice.
The Bench is currently housed in a heritage building on Bhausingji Road, which once served as a court during the princely state era. The structure was restored in just a few weeks, a turnaround so fast that the CJI jokingly remarked it deserved a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. From this historic building, the bench will begin hearing cases with a Division Bench comprising Justices M. S. Karnik and Sharmila Deshmukh, along with Single-Judge Benches of Justice S. G. Dige and Justice S. G. Chapalgaonkar. Their jurisdiction will cover all major matters—civil appeals, criminal cases, writ petitions, and public interest litigations arising from the six surrounding districts.
Justice Gavai also compared the Kolhapur bench’s future to that of the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court,which was initially underestimated but later produced several Chief Justices and even a Supreme Court judge. He expressed confidence that Kolhapur too would grow into a strong judicial hub. At the same time, he urged Chief Justice Alok Aradhe of the Bombay High Court to submit a proposal soon to convert this circuit bench into a permanent Division Bench, assuring that he would consider it before his retirement in November 2025.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis handed over nearly nine hectares of land at Shenda Park for the construction of a permanent High Court complex in Kolhapur. He also supported the demand for a lawyers’ hostel, recognising the need to help young advocates establish themselves in the city. The immediate impact is already visible—close to 85,000 pending cases from six districts are being shifted to Kolhapur, lawyers are relocating, and office rents have begun to rise. Local hoteliers and the community too have extended their support, offering discounted stays and meals for visiting lawyers and litigants.
For the people of western Maharashtra, this inauguration is more than just an administrative change. It marks the end of decades of waiting and the beginning of a new chapter where justice is accessible, affordable, and rooted in the very place where people live. After years of petitions, protests, and perseverance, the High Court Bench has finally arrived at Kolhapur.
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