The Bombay High Court has notified its Circuit Bench at Kolhapur in Maharashtra.

The Bench will start functioning from August 18.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of Section 51 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (No. 37 of 1956), and all other powers enabling me in this behalf, I Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, with the approval of the Governor of Maharashtra, appoint Kolhapur as a place at which Judges and Division Courts of the High Court may also sit, with effect from 18th August 2025," a gazette notification dated August 1 said.

Sharing the development on X, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who is also the law minister of the state expressed his delight over the new bench, calling it the fulfillment of an old demand. “I am extremely delighted to inform that the Bombay High Court has made arrangements for the administration of justice (Circuit Bench) at Kolhapur. The gazette regarding this has also been published, and it will come into effect from August 18, 2025,” he posted on X in Marathi.

He added that the bench will cater to the districts of Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg, benefiting citizens who had struggled for many years for this facility. Fadnavis noted that he had been pursuing the matter since his first term as Chief Minister and thanked Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai and Chief Justice Alok Aradhe for their role in making this possible.

“This will undoubtedly provide significant assistance in making the administration of justice more efficient. Moreover, it will also save the time, effort, and money of the citizens,” he said, concluding with “Heartfelt congratulations to the citizens and lawyers of the region!”

Besides its principal seat at Mumbai, the Bombay High Court currently has benches at Nagpur and Aurangabad in Maharashtra and at Panaji in Goa.

[Read Notification]