The most stringent judicial power at the state level is with the High Court in the country. There are a total of 25 High Courts in the country, out of which seven have multiple jurisdictions. They have jurisdiction over a state, union territory or a group of states. The oldest High Court was established in Calcutta in the year 1862. Civil and criminal subordinate courts and tribunals function under the High Court. But all the High Courts come under the Supreme Court of India.
List of Indian High Courts:
| Courts (Establishment Year) | Establishment Act | Jurisdiction |
| Hyderabad High Court (05 July 1957) | High Court Act, 1953 | Andhra Pradesh and Telangana |
| Himachal Pradesh High Court (1971) | Himachal Pradesh Act, 1970 | Himachal Pradesh |
| Sikkim High Court (16 May 1975) | 38th Amendment of the Indian Constitution | Sikkim |
| Rajasthan High Court (21st June 1949) | The Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949 | Rajasthan |
| Meghalaya High Court (23 March 2013) | North Eastern Region Reorganization Act, 2012 | Meghalaya |
| Bombay High Court (14 August 1862) | High Court Act, 1861 | Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu. |
| Madhya Pradesh High Court (2 January 1936) | Government of India Act, 1935 | Madhya Pradesh |
| Madras High Court (5 August 1862) | High Court Act, 1861 | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry |
| Manipur High Court (25 March 2013) | North Eastern Region Reorganization Act, 2012 | Manipur |
| Patna High Court (2 September 1916) | Government of India Act, 1915 | Bihar |
| Punjab and Haryana High Court (15 August 1947) | High Court (Punjab) Order, 1947 | Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh |
| Delhi High Court (31 October 1966) | The Delhi High Court Act, 1966 | National Capital Territory of Delhi |
| Tripura High Court (26 March 2013) | North Eastern Region Reorganization Act, 2012 | Tripura |
| Jharkhand High Court (15 November 2000) | Bihar Reorganization Act, 2000 | Jharkhand |
| Jammu and Kashmir High Court (28 August 1928) | Letter of Authority-Dan-Letter Issued by the Maharaja of Kashmir. | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Chhattisgarh High Court (1 November 2000) | Madhya Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2000 | Chhattisgarh |
| Guwahati High Court (1 March 1948) | Government of India Act, 1965 | Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram |
| Gujarat High Court (1 May 1960) | Bombay Reorganization Act, 1960 | Gujarat |
| Kerala High Court (1956) | State Reorganization Act, 1956 | Kerala, Lakshadweep |
| Calcutta High Court (2 July 1862) | High Court Act, 1861 | West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar |
| Karnataka High Court (1884) | Mysore High Court Act, 1884 | Karnataka |
| Uttarakhand High Court (9 November 2000) | Uttar Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2000 | Uttarakhand |
| Orissa High Court (3 April 1948) | Orissa High Court Order, 1948 | Odisha |
| Allahabad High Court (11 June 1866) | High Court Act, 1861 | Uttar Pradesh |
| Andhra Pradesh High Court (January 1, 2019) | Andhra Pradesh | |
Appointment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court:
All the judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President of India in consultation with the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court compulsorily consults a group of four senior most judges before advising the President in this regard and on the basis of the advice received from this group, advises the President. According to Article 124, while appointing the Chief Justice, the President shall seek the advice of the judges of the Supreme Court of his choice.
At the time of appointment of other judges, he has to compulsorily follow the advice of the Chief Justice. According to Article 214 of the Constitution, there is a provision for a High Court for each State. Under Article 231, Parliament has the power to establish High Courts for two or more states. High Court declared as Court of Record as per Article 215.
Qualifications of a Supreme Court Judge:
- The person should be a citizen of India.
- A Judge of a High Court for at least five years or has served as a Judge of two or more High Courts continuously for at least five years.
- Should have been an advocate in any High Court or Courts for ten consecutive years.
- The person should be an eminent jurist in the opinion of the President.
- To become a judge of the Supreme Court, it is mandatory for a judge to have five years experience in the High Court of any state and he should not have completed the age of 62 years.
Tenure of Supreme Court Judges:
The retirement age of the judges of the Supreme Court of India is 65 years. Judges can be removed by the President only on the basis of a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of both the Houses of the Parliament on proven misbehavior or incapacity (impeachment).
Read also:
- List of Chief Justice of India from 1950 to 2023 🔗
- Collegium System - Method of Appointments of Supreme Court Judges 🔗
- List of Current Chief Justice of Indian States 2023 [Update] 🔗