Kolhapur to Get Bombay High Court Bench from August 18, 2025

In a major development aimed at improving access to justice, the Bombay High Court has announced the commencement of a new bench in Kolhapur. The bench will start functioning from 18th August 2025, as per the official notification published in the Maharashtra Government Gazette on 1st August.

The move was approved by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe with the consent of the Governor of Maharashtra, in accordance with Section 51(3) of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. This provision empowers the Chief Justice, with the Governor’s approval, to designate additional places where the High Court may sit.

Official Notification and Significance

The Gazette notification reads:

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of Section 51 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (No. 37 of 1956), and all other powers enabling me in this behalf, I, Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, with the approval of the Governor of Maharashtra, appoint Kolhapur as a place at which Judges and Division Courts of the High Court may also sit, with effect from 18th August 2025.”

The notification was signed by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and published by Rupendra Dinesh More, Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, in Extraordinary Gazette No. 41, dated 1 August 2025.

A Step Towards Decentralised Justice

With this addition, Kolhapur becomes the latest city in Maharashtra to host a bench of the Bombay High Court, which already has its principal seat in Mumbai and existing benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji (Goa).

The Kolhapur bench is expected to bring considerable relief to litigants, lawyers, and stakeholders in the region who earlier had to travel long distances for High Court matters. It marks a progressive step towards making the justice system more accessible, cost-effective, and time-efficient for people living in southern Maharashtra.