Bombay, Madras and Calcutta high courts to see changes in names

New Delhi, July 6: The Centre on Tuesday (July 5) approved a change in the names of the high courts of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata to reflect the official nomenclature of these cities. The high courts are currently referred to as Bombay High Court, Madras High Court and Calcutta High Court, respectively.

"The names of these cities have been changed for a few years now. [So] it is appropriate to change the names of their High Courts as well and the Cabinet has approved the introduction of the 'The High Courts [Alteration of Names] Bill, 2016' in Parliament," Ravi Shankar Prasad, who took over as the Union law minister following the Cabinet reshuffle, told the media after a Cabinet meeting.

The bill will facilitate the change of names of the high court of Mumbai and Chennai, the government said in an official statement. No mention was made about the Calcutta High Court.

Currently, there is no central rule under which the proposal for changing names of the high courts can be addressed and a new legislation will see that through, it was told. However, Prasad said the name of the Calcutta High Court too will be changed.

The Calcutta High Court is the first high court and one of the three chartered high courts to be set up in India, along with those of Bombay and Madras. It was opened on July 1, 1862.

The Department of Justice in the Law Ministry has proposed to bring a bill---The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016---to rename the two high courts set up in 1860s under the Indian High Court Act, 1861.

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