List of High Courts in India: Seats, Jurisdictions and Benches

India has 25 High Courts. Eighteen of them serve a single state or union territory, and the remaining seven exercise jurisdiction over more than one region under a shared arrangement. The complete list of High Courts in India, together with the areas each one covers, is set out below.

The number is fixed by the Constitution’s design rather than by administrative convenience. Article 214 requires a High Court for each state, and Article 231 lets Parliament establish a common High Court for two or more states or union territories where a standalone court is not practical.1Indian Kanoon. Constitution of India – Article 2142Constitution of India. Article 231 – Establishment of a Common High Court for Two or More States That is why seven of the 25 courts carry jurisdiction across multiple territories.

The 18 High Courts Serving a Single State or Territory

Each of these courts operates independently, with its own Chief Justice and bench, and its writ runs within the borders of one state or territory.

  • Allahabad High Court — Uttar Pradesh
  • Andhra Pradesh High Court — Andhra Pradesh
  • Chhattisgarh High Court — Chhattisgarh
  • Delhi High Court — National Capital Territory of Delhi
  • Gujarat High Court — Gujarat
  • Himachal Pradesh High Court — Himachal Pradesh
  • Jharkhand High Court — Jharkhand
  • Karnataka High Court — Karnataka
  • Madhya Pradesh High Court — Madhya Pradesh
  • Manipur High Court — Manipur
  • Meghalaya High Court — Meghalaya
  • Orissa High Court — Odisha
  • Patna High Court — Bihar
  • Rajasthan High Court — Rajasthan
  • Sikkim High Court — Sikkim
  • Telangana High Court — Telangana
  • Tripura High Court — Tripura
  • Uttarakhand High Court — Uttarakhand

Delhi is the one entry on this list that is not a full state. It is a union territory with a legislative assembly, and its High Court functions with the same constitutional powers as any state-level court.

The 7 High Courts With Shared Jurisdiction

The remaining courts each cover more than one state or union territory. Consolidation here reflects the size of the regions involved: some territories do not generate enough caseload to justify a standalone court, and shared jurisdiction keeps experienced benches and infrastructure within reach.

Where Each High Court Sits

Every High Court has a Principal Seat that serves as its main administrative and judicial headquarters. The seat is not always located in the state capital, and this trips up a lot of first-time litigants. The Rajasthan High Court sits in Jodhpur rather than Jaipur.10Rajasthan High Court. Rajasthan High Court The Madhya Pradesh High Court sits in Jabalpur rather than Bhopal.11High Court of Madhya Pradesh. High Court of Madhya Pradesh These locations are historical, fixed when the courts were first set up, and they have stayed put.

Many courts also run permanent benches and circuit benches in other cities so that people in distant districts are not forced to travel to the Principal Seat for every hearing. The Bombay High Court has benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji in addition to its seat in Mumbai.3High Court of Bombay. High Court of Bombay – Jurisdiction The Gauhati High Court runs outlying benches at Kohima for Nagaland, Aizawl for Mizoram, and Itanagar for Arunachal Pradesh.12e-Committee, Supreme Court of India. Gauhati High Court, Guwahati The Madhya Pradesh High Court has benches at Indore and Gwalior alongside its seat in Jabalpur.11High Court of Madhya Pradesh. High Court of Madhya Pradesh If your matter arises in a region covered by a bench, that bench usually hears it.

Recent Changes to the Map

The current count of 25 is relatively recent. Several of the single-state courts on the list did not exist a decade ago. The Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura High Courts were carved out of the Gauhati High Court in 2013. Before that, Gauhati served as the common court for all seven northeastern states, and the split narrowed its jurisdiction to Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.13The Gauhati High Court. Gauhati High Court – History

The Telangana High Court was separated from the combined Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2019, which is why both now appear as single-state courts. The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir took its current form, now covering the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, after the 2019 reorganization of the former state. If you are looking at older reference material, you may find lists that still show 24 courts, or courts labeled under their earlier combined names.

Where High Courts Sit in the Court Hierarchy

High Courts form the middle tier of the Indian judicial system. District and other subordinate courts sit below them within each state or territory, and the Supreme Court of India sits above. Appeals from a High Court go to the Supreme Court, though for most civil matters the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction is discretionary and it chooses which cases to admit. Within its own territory, every High Court also exercises administrative superintendence over the subordinate courts and tribunals under Article 227, which gives it a role in setting procedural rules and forms as well as deciding appeals.14Constitution of India. Article 227 – Power of Superintendence Over All Courts by the High Court