Guwahati: In a move that can change the judicial landscape of the nation, the Union Law Ministry has accepted the establishment of regional Supreme Court benches across India.
This is a recommendation put forward by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice.
The committee had earlier noted that the demand for having regional benches of the Supreme Court is about ‘access to justice,’ which is a fundamental right under the Constitution.
There has been a long-standing demand, it noted, for having regional benches of the top court in the country for taking justice to the doorstep of the common citizen.
“The regional benches may also be seen as a solution to the overflowing caseload of the judiciary and to reduce the litigation cost to the common man,” it had said.
The establishment of regional benches is seen as a pivotal step towards alleviating the Supreme Court’s increasing caseload and reducing litigation costs for the common man.
The panel said it has been recommending for a long time on establishment of regional benches of the Supreme Court and still hold Committee still holds the view that the Supreme Court may invoke Article 130 of the Constitution for establishing its regional benches at four or five locations in the Country.
In its response, the Department of Justice in the law ministry noted that as per Article 130 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court will sit in Delhi or such other place or places, as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the President, from time to time, appoint.