Karnataka High Court
| High Court of Karnataka Karnāṭaka Ućća Nyāyālaya | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the court | |
 Interactive map of High Court of Karnataka Karnāṭaka Ućća Nyāyālaya | |
| 12°58′40″N 77°35′33″E / 12.9779°N 77.5926°E | |
| Established | 1884 |
| Jurisdiction | Karnataka |
| Location | Principal bench Additional benches |
| Coordinates | 12°58′40″N 77°35′33″E / 12.9779°N 77.5926°E |
| Composition method | Presidential appointment on advice of the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of Karnataka. |
| Authorised by | Constitution of India |
| Judge term length | Mandatory retirement at age 62 |
| Number of positions | 62 |
| Language | Kannada, English |
| Website | https://judiciary.karnataka.gov.in |
| Chief Justice | |
| Currently | Vibhu Bakhru |
| Since | 19 July 2025 |
The High Court of Karnataka (IAST: Karnāṭaka Ućća Nyāyālaya, commonly referred to as the Karnataka High Court and formerly known as the Mysore High Court, is the highest judicial authority of the Indian state of Karnataka. The court's principal bench is located in Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, with additional benches in Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi. In Bengaluru, the High Court operates from a red-painted brick building known as the Attara Kacheri, located opposite the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the Karnataka Legislature.
Composition
[edit]The High Court is composed of the Chief Justice of Karnataka and other judges, who are appointed by the President of India.[1] As of February 2022, there are 45 judges in the High Court,[2] against a sanctioned maximum strength of 62.[3] Valluri Kameswar Rao has been the Acting Chief Justice since 30 May 2025.
Powers and jurisdiction
[edit]The High Court is the highest judicial authority within the State of Karnataka. It has superintendence over all courts and tribunals, such as district courts, operating within Karnataka, except those of the armed forces.[4][5] Appeals against judgments of lower courts, such as district-level civil and sessions courts, are heard in the High Court. Appeals against judgments of the High Court are heard by the Supreme Court of India.
The High Court is a court of record and has the authority to prosecute for contempt of itself.[6]
The Karnataka High Court has one permanent bench each at Hubballi-Dharwada and Kalaburagi. The permanent bench at Hubballi-Dharwada became operational on 24 August 2013, and the Kalaburagi bench became operational on 31 August 2013.[7] Prior to the establishment of permanent benches, Hubballi-Dharwada and Kalaburagi had circuit benches of Karnataka High Court starting in 2008. The Hubballi-Dharwada bench was inaugurated by then Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan on 4 July 2008 and became operational on 7 July 2008.[8]
Premises
[edit]
The High Court's principal bench is located in Bengaluru, in a building called the Attara Kacheri. It is a two-storry building made of stone and brick, painted red, in the neoclassical style of architecture. The building was constructed between 1864 and 1868 [9] and is located in Bengaluru's Cubbon Park.
There was a proposal to demolish this building in the year 1982.[10] A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court to prevent demolition. This was the first PIL ever filed in the court, and the case was heard in the same building that was supposed to be demolished.[11] The petition was dismissed by the High Court, but in 1985 the proposal to demolish the building was dropped after the Supreme Court directed the state government to reconsider demolition.
Heritage
[edit]Lord Cubbon, the then Viceroy of Colonial India was responsible for building Attara Kacheri. The building features Greco-Roman styled architecture with red paint and a sprawling expansive layout, marked by a distinguished central structure. A portion of the High Court building served as Attara Kacheri, during the Mysore Kingdom era, housing various public offices.
The entrance of the Attara Kacheri building now faces the side opposite to the Vidhana Soudha, which was originally the rear side of the former Attara Kacheri. Over a hundred years later, when the building became the High Court, it began to show signs of age and wear. This led to the proposal for its demolition during the tenure of Kengal Hanumanthaiah and again in 1984, when there was a plan to replace it with a new structure. These proposals faced significant protests from citizens who opposed dismantling the colonial-era building.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed, but the High Court dismissed the petition. The case was subsequently taken to the Supreme Court. In consideration of the public concerns, the government decided not to demolish the building but instead to renovate and expand it to meet modern needs. The government of Karnataka assigned the task to the engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD).[12] Preparations began in 1986 to renovate the old structure and add a new parallel block, designed in the same style as the original Attara Kacheri.
In 1990s, the Karnataka Government successfully rejuvenated the Attara Kacheri building, adding new blocks alongside the existing structure. The old building was reinforced to accommodate the updated requirements. The Northern Block was formally Inaugurated by Lokayuktha Venkatachala, with a plaque installed during the event.[13]
Chief Justices
[edit]P. Mahadevayya, M. Sadasivayya, Nittoor Srinivasa Rau, Sam Piroj Bharucha and G. T. Nanavati were among the notable Chief Justices who presided over this court.
List of former Chief Justices
[edit]- High Court of Mysore
| N | Chief Justice | Term |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles George Plumer | 1884 – July 1890 |
| 2 | Sir T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty | July 1890 – 4 November 1895 |
| 3 | James William Best | 4 November 1895 – 1907 |
| 4 | Stanley Ismay | 1908–1912 |
| 5 | P. Mahadevayya | 1931–1934 |
| 6 | Justice Palecanda Belliappa Medapa | 1948 -1955 |
- High Court of Karnataka
| # | Chief Justice | Term |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Venkataramaiah | 1 November 1956 – 16 July 1957 |
| 2 | S. R. Das Gupta | 25 July 1957 – 13 August 1961 |
| 3 | Nittoor Srinivasa Rau | 29 March 1962 – 7 August 1963 |
| 4 | A. R. Somanath Iyer | 23 November 1969 – 29 December 1969 |
| 5 | M. Sadasivayya | 30 December 1969 – 16 September 1970 |
| 6 | A. Narayana Pai | 17 September 1970 – 6 June 1973 |
| 7 | G. K. Govinda Bhat | 7 June 1973 – 14 December 1977 |
| 8 | D. M. Chandrashekar | 22 March 1978 – 25 September 1982 |
| 9 | K. Bhimaiah | 28 October 1982 – 10 April 1983 |
| 10 | V. S. Malimath | 6 February 1984 – 24 October 1985 |
| 11 | Prem Chand Jain | 28 August 1986 – 16 September 1989 |
| 12 | S. Mohan | 26 October 1989 – 7 October 1991 |
| 13 | S. P. Bharucha | 1 January 1991 – 30 June 1992 |
| 14 | S. B. Majumdar | 2 July 1993 – 13 September 1994 |
| 15 | G. T. Nanavati | 28 September 1994 – 4 March 1995 |
| 16 | M. L. Pendse | 28 July 1995 – 25 March 1996 |
| 17 | S. A. Hakeem | 3 May 1996 – 9 May 1996 |
| 18 | R. P. Sethi | 29 June 1996 – 6 January 1999 |
| 19 | Y. Bhaskar Rao | 9 March 1999 – 26 June 2000 |
| 20 | P. V. Reddi | 21 October 2000 – 16 August 2001 |
| 21 | Nagendra Kumar Jain | 31 August 2001 – 20 October 2004 |
| 22 | Nauvdip Kumar Sodhi | 19 November 2004 – 29 November 2005 |
| 23 | Cyriac Joseph | 7 January 2006 – 6 July 2008 |
| 24 | P. D. Dinakaran | 8 August 2008 – 7 August 2010 |
| 25 | Jagdish Singh Khehar | 8 August 2010 – 12 September 2011 |
| 26 | Vikramajit Sen | 24 December 2011 – 24 December 2012 |
| 27 | Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela | 7 March 2013 – 1 June 2015 |
| 28 | Subhro Kamal Mukherjee | 23 February 2016– 9 October 2017 |
| 29 | Dinesh Maheshwari | 12 February 2018 – 17 January 2019 |
| 30 | Abhay Shreeniwas Oka | 10 May 2019 – 30 August 2021 |
| 31 | Ritu Raj Awasthi | 11 October 2021 – 2 July 2022 |
| 32 | Prasanna B. Varale | 15 October 2022 – 24 January 2024 |
| 33 | P. S. Dinesh Kumar | 3 February 2024 – 24 February 2024 |
| 34 | Nilay Vipinchandra Anjaria | 25 February 2024 – 29 May 2025 |
| 35 | Vibhu Bakhru | 19 July 2025 – Incumbent |
Chief justice and judges
[edit]The current sitting judges of the court are as follows:[14]
Judges elevated to Supreme Court
[edit]Currently serving
[edit]| # | Name of the Judge | Image | Date of Appointment as Judge | Date of elevation to Supreme Court | Date of Retirement | Tenure | Immediately preceding office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As HC Judge | As Supreme Court Judge | Total tenure (including both SC and HC) | |||||||
| 1 | Bengaluru Venkataramaiah Nagarathna | 
|
18 February 2008 | 31 August 2021 | 29 October 2027 | 13 years, 194 days | 6 years, 60 days | 19 years, 254 days | Judge of Karnataka HC |
| 2 | Aravind Kumar | 
|
26 June 2009 | 13 February 2023 | 13 July 2027 | 13 years, 232 days | 4 years, 152 days | 18 years, 18 days | 26th CJ of Gujarat HC |
Former Judges
[edit]| # | Name of the Judge | Image | Date of Appointment as Judge | Date of elevation to Supreme Court | Date of Retirement | Tenure | Immediately preceding office | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As HC Judge | As Supreme Court Judge | Total tenure (including both SC and HC) | ||||||||
| 1 | Kowdoor Sadananda Hegde | 
|
26 August 1957 | 17 July 1967 | 30 April 1973 | 9 years, 325 days | 5 years, 288 days | 15 years, 248 days | 1st CJ of Delhi HC | Resigned from office |
| 2 | Engalaguppe Seetharamiah Venkataramiah | 
|
25 June 1970 | 8 March 1979 | 17 December 1989 | 8 years, 256 days | 10 years, 285 days | 19 years, 176 days | Judge of Karnataka HC | 19th Chief Justice of India |
| 3 | Kalmanje Jagannatha Shetty | 25 June 1970 | 1 May 1987 | 14 December 1991 | 16 years, 310 days | 4 years, 228 days | 21 years, 173 days | 27th CJ of Allahabad HC | ||
| 4 | Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah | 
|
6 November 1975 | 5 October 1987 | 24 October 1994 | 11 years, 333 days | 7 years, 20 days | 18 years, 353 days | Judge of Karnataka HC | 25th Chief Justice of India |
| 5 | Nanje Gowda Venkatachala | 28 November 1977 | 1 July 1992 | 2 July 1995 | 14 years, 216 days | 3 years, 2 days | 17 years, 217 days | Judge of Karnataka HC | ||
| 6 | S. Rajendra Babu | 
|
19 February 1988 | 25 September 1997 | 31 May 2004 | 9 years, 218 days | 6 years, 250 days | 16 years, 103 days | Judge of Karnataka HC | 34th Chief Justice of India |
| 7 | Shivaraj Virupanna Patil | 29 March 1990 | 15 March 2000 | 11 January 2005 | 9 years, 352 days | 4 years, 303 days | 14 years, 289 days | 21st CJ of Rajasthan HC | ||
| 8 | Raju Varadarajulu Raveendran | 22 February 1993 | 9 September 2005 | 15 October 2011 | 12 years, 199 days | 6 years, 37 days | 18 years, 236 days | 18th CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC | ||
| 9 | Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu | 
|
18 December 1995 | 17 December 2008 | 2 December 2015 | 12 years, 365 days | 6 years, 351 days | 19 years, 350 days | 27th CJ of Kerala HC | 42nd Chief Justice of India |
| 10 | Venkate Gopala Gowda | 
|
11 June 1997 | 24 December 2012 | 5 October 2016 | 15 years, 196 days | 3 years, 287 days | 19 years, 117 days | 24th CJ of Orissa HC | |
| 11 | Mohan Shantanagoudar | 
|
12 May 2003 | 17 February 2017 | 24 April 2021 | 13 years, 281 days | 4 years, 67 days | 17 years, 348 days | 32nd CJ of Kerala HC | Died in office |
| 12 | Syed Abdul Nazeer | 
|
12 May 2003 | 17 February 2017 | 4 January 2023 | 13 years, 281 days | 5 years, 322 days | 19 years, 238 days | Judge of Karnataka HC | |
| 13 | Ajjikuttira Somaiah Bopanna | 
|
6 January 2006 | 24 May 2019 | 19 May 2024 | 13 years, 138 days | 4 years, 362 days | 18 years, 135 days | 37th CJ of Gauhati HC | |
Additional Benches
[edit]
The Karnataka High Court currently operates in Bengaluru, Hubballi-Dharwada and Kalaburagi. For many years there was a demand for additional benches due to the difficulty faced by people from northern regions of the state, as Bengaluru is located in the southeastern corner. This issue led to agitation, including boycott of court proceedings by lawyers in the northern region. In response, the government decided to establish circuit benches in Hubballi-Dharwada and Kalaburagi in 2006.[15] The new benches were inaugurated on 4 and 5 July 2008, respectively. Subsequently, there was a push to make both the Hubballi-Dharwada and Kalaburagi benches permanent. As a result, the Hubballi-Dharwadaa bench became permanent on from 25 August 2013, followed by the Kalaburagi bench on 31 August 2013.
Controversies
[edit]In late 2002, 14 newspapers and periodicals reported allegations of a sex scandal involving some judges of the Karnataka High Court in Mysore. In response, the Chief Justice formed a high-level judicial inquiry committee to investigate the matter. The committee later acquitted the judges, as no substantial evidence could be found to support the allegations.[16][17][18]
As of 2023, approximately 2.7 lakh cases were pending in Karnataka High Court, which is facing a significant backlog. The court has struggled with delays due to challenges in adhering to the Karnataka Civil Procedure Code and delivering timely justice.[19]
As of August 2024, approximately 20 Lakh cases are pending across the state, with the High Court serving as the final custodian of justice in these matters.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ Article 216, Constitution of India, 1950
- ^ "High Court of Karnataka Official Web Site".
- ^ "High Court sees highest number of judges at 43". The Hindu. 9 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Article 227, Clause 1, Constitution of India, 1950
- ^ Article 227, Clause 4, Constitution of India, 1950
- ^ Article 215, Constitution of India, 1950
- ^ "Permanent Benches of Karnataka High Court Established at Dharwad and Gulbarga". Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ "Dharwad high court bench all set to celebrate its 10th anniversary". Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ "Attara Kacheri: Building that housed 18 public departments made way for Karnataka High Court". The Economic Times. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ "When the axe was spared". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 April 2007. Archived from the original on 10 December 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
- ^ "The battle for Attara Kacheri". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 April 2006. Archived from the original on 12 September 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
- ^ Dayananda, Prof. N. Justice N Venkatachala - The Tireless Crusader. pp. 143-165
- ^ Iyer, Meera (2019) Discovering Bengaluru. ISBN 9353210291 pp. 98-99
- ^ High Court of Karnataka - Profile of sitting judges
- ^ "Contracts signed for circuit Bench buildings". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 5 August 2006. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
- ^ "Mysore sex scandal: Media faces contempt case". The Times of India. India. 7 February 2003. Retrieved 7 February 2003.
- ^ "Contempt proceedings against scribes stayed". The Tribune. Retrieved 5 May 2003.
- ^ "Karnataka HC judges cleared in sex scandal". Rediff. Retrieved 2 February 2003.
- ^ Singh, Ratna (15 August 2023). "Alarming that over 2.7 lakh cases pending in Karnataka High Court: Chief Justice PB Varale". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "With 16% vacancies, lower courts in Karnataka grapple with 20L+ pending cases". The Times of India. 12 August 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Jurisdiction and Seats of Indian High Courts
- Judge strength in High Courts increased
- Dharwada HC circuit bench gets permanent tag – Business Standard News
External links
[edit]- Royaloo Chetty, T. (1909). A Brief Sketch of the Life of T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty, C.I.E, Formerly Chief Judge and Officiating Dewan of Mysore. . Hoe & Co.Madras.
- Official Karnataka High Court website
- Luminaries who presided over the High Court
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