Jurisdiction and Powers of the High Court

Like the Supreme Court, the high court has been vested with quite extensive and effective powers. It is the highest court of appeal in the state. It is the protector of the fundamental rights of citizens. It is vested with the power to interpret the Constitution. At present, a high court enjoys the following jurisdiction and powers:

1. Original Jurisdiction
2. Writ Jurisdiction
3. Appellate Jurisdiction
4. Supervisory Jurisdiction
5. Control over Subordinate Courts
6. A Court of Record
7. Power of Judicial Review

Original Jurisdiction

It means the power of the high court to hear disputes in first instance, not by way of appeal. It includes:

• Disputes related to the election of MPs and MLAs.
• Regarding revenue matters,.
• Enforcement of the fundamental rights of citizens.

Writ Jurisdiction

• Article 226 of the Indian Constitution empowers a high court to issue writs including habeaus corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition, and quo warranto for the enforcement of fundamental rights of citizens.
• The writ jurisdiction of the High Court is wider than the writ jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

Appellate Jurisdiction

• A high court is primarily a court of appeals. It hears appeals against the judgments of subordinate courts functioning in its territorial jurisdiction.
• It has appellate jurisdiction in both civil and criminal matters.

Supervisory Jurisdiction

• A high court has the power of superintendence over all courts and tribunals functioning in its territorial jurisdictions.

Control over Subordinate Courts

• In addition to its appellate jurisdiction and supervisory jurisdiction over the subordinate courts, as mentioned above, a high court has administrative control and other powers over them.

A Court of Record

• It means that the judgments, proceedings, and acts of high courts are recorded for perceptual memory and testimony.

Power of Judicial Review

• Judicial review is the power of a high court to examine the constitutionality of legislative enactments and executive orders of both the central and state governments.

List of High Courts in India: High courts operate below the Supreme Court but above the Subordinate Court in the Indian single-integrated judicial system. The judiciary in a state consists of a high court and a hierarchy of subordinate courts. The High Court occupies the top position in the judicial administration of a state. Currently, India has 25 high courts established in different states of the country.

Read below this comprehensive article to learn about the Total List of High Courts of India, their history, how appointments are made, removal and transfer procedures, and jurisdiction and powers.