Pune High Court bench demand back to square one

The demand for setting up a separate bench of the Bombay high court (HC) in Pune received a setback after the state government put the onus for establishing the bench on the governor and the chief justice.

In a letter dated August 8, 2011, to former Pune Bar Association (PBA) president Milind Pawar, the ministry of law and judiciary headed by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has stated that the bench can come up in Pune only if the HC chief justice gives consent.

The letter reminds Pawar that the HC, in four communiques, intimated the state government that it is inappropriate to set up any separate bench of the HC other than the existing ones.

The letter stated that according to section 51(2) of the State Restructuring Act, 1956, the governor’s consent is also needed.
Interestingly, the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa had passed a resolution demanding a separate bench of the Bombay HC in any city in western Maharashtra, including Pune.