Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Nov 4: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to pursue the establishment of a Supreme Court bench in Chennai, arguing that the distance and expense involved in travelling to Delhi restrict access to justice for litigants from southern states.

Describing the proposal as a long-pending demand first raised by Tamil Nadu in 1980, Vijay requested the Prime Minister to take up the matter afresh with the Supreme Court and seek a reconsideration of its earlier position.

In his letter, Vijay referred to Article 130 of the Constitution, which permits the Supreme Court to sit outside Delhi at locations determined by the Chief Justice of India with the approval of the President.

He said the framers of the Constitution intended every citizen, irrespective of economic status, to have direct access to the country's highest court. However, he pointed out that the constitutional remedy under Article 32 was, in practice, more accessible to people living close to the Supreme Court or those who could afford the expenses of travel and litigation.

A bench in Chennai would significantly reduce these difficulties for litigants from Tamil Nadu and other southern states, he said.

Vijay also highlighted Chennai's legal expertise and the long institutional history of the Madras High Court, established in 1862, as factors supporting the proposal. He said a regional bench would reflect India's federal character without affecting judicial independence, as its administration and control would remain with the Chief Justice of India.

The Chief Minister recalled that the Supreme Court's Full Court had declined to reconsider its opposition to establishing benches outside Delhi at a meeting held on August 7, 2007. This was despite Tamil Nadu offering to provide the required infrastructure, including suitable residential accommodation for Supreme Court judges.

He also referred to the July 13, 2016 order in the V Vasanthakumar case, in which questions relating to the establishment of a Supreme Court bench were referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench.

Vijay urged Modi to renew efforts to secure the proposal, pointing to recommendations made by Parliamentary Standing Committees in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2021, as well as Law Commission reports that have supported the establishment of permanent regional benches of the Supreme Court.