The Bombay and the Madras high courts will soon have names coinciding with the cities of Mumbai and Chennai respectively. The union cabinet on Tuesday has approved a Law Ministry proposal to change the names of these two courts through an Act of Parliament.
Such demands to rename the courts as Mumbai High Court and Chennai High Court have been rising since the metros were rechristened in 1990s.
The proposal of the Department of Justice in the Law Ministry is to bring a bill — The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016– to rename the two high courts established in 1860s under Indian High Court Act, 1861.
Though at present no such central law exists, under which the proposal for change of names of these high courts can be implemented. Briefing reporters on the decisions of the Union Cabinet, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the name of the Calcutta High Court too will be changed to Kolkata High Court. But an official letter issued later mentioned only the Madras and the Bombay high courts.
