the Bombay High Court - oldest in India. .realestateindia.anandmahal.com |
the Bombay High Court.indiaonlinenews.com |
Legally Bombay in 1661, became a British possession. The island of Mumbai and town constituting a part, was received by the British as a part of the dowry of the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza, sister of Alphonso VI, the then Portuguese Monarch, when she married King Charles II . Bombay then was little more than a small fishing village.
The 'Indian High Court Act' of 1861, vested in Her Majesty the Queen of England to issue letters patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom to erect and establish High Courts of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. The Indian High Courts Act, 1861 did not by itself create and establish the High Courts in India. The important aim of the Act was to effect a fusion of the Supreme Courts and the Sudder Adalats in the three Presidencies and this was to be consummated by issuing Letter Patent. The Charter of High Court of Bombay was issued on June 26, 1862.
The court building.Mmbai.tripwow.tripadvisor.com |
The court building is 562 feet (171 m) long and 187 feet (57 m) wide. Two octagonal towers are to the west of central tower. Atop this building are the statues of Justice and Mercy . Apart from Bombay Bench, it also has benches at Panaji, Nagpur and Aurangabad. It can also hear the appeals and review the decisions of the lower courts over the State of Goa, Maharashtra, Union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. In 1995, the name Bombay was changed to Mumbai; however, being an institution it remained as the Bombay High Court. Justice M. C. Chagla was the first Indian permanent Chief Justice of Bombay High Court after independence (1948 - 1958). In the colonial days the Letter Patent of the Bombay High Court authorized 15 Judges, but it started with only 7. It is strange, for about 60 plus years thereafter, the High Court managed to function with just 7. The high court building is worth a visit and it will not disappoint you.
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_High_Court