Hyderabad: The Law Commission of India had recommended in the year 2009 that a bench of the Supreme Court could be established in any of the southern states. To this, the Full Court comprising all judges of the Supreme Court felt that there was no need of having benches in any other part of the country. The court in Delhi was enough to take care of the appellate needs of the litigants, the Full Court ruled.
Article 130 of the Indian Constitution stipulates that ‘The Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or in such other place or places, as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the President, from time to time, appoint.’
This can pave the way for the establishment of a Supreme Court bench in the south zone without involving cumbersome procedure or time.
In 2015, the then Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu while dealing with a petition urging the setting up of a Bench in south India, had said that the time has not come, and it may happen in the future. But advocates of the Telangana High Court argue that the time has come.
Mr B. Vinod Kumar, a former TRS MP, said that 58,669 cases are pending in the apex court and the number could be reduced if a bench was constituted in the south.
