Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to take the necessary steps to establish a Supreme Court Bench in Chennai.
In his letter, Vijay noted that setting up a top court's Bench in Chennai was a long-pending demand of Tamil Nadu, first mooted in 1980.
He also pointed out that the issue had been discussed at a conference of Chief Justices in 1979, where it was noted that litigants from South India had to travel all the way to Delhi to seek redressal of their grievances.
Those who framed the Constitution envisaged that all citizens, rich and poor alike, must have access to the courts, Vijay said. However, people from the southern states were deprived of this opportunity due to the sheer distance to Delhi, he claimed.
As an important city in South India, Chennai having a Supreme Court Bench would benefit all the states in the region, the chief minister noted in his letter.
Vijay also stated that establishing a Bench in Chennai would reflect the true federal character of the nation.
He further noted that the Madras High Court is one of the oldest chartered High Courts in India, having been established in 1862, and that the Bar here is professionally talented and highly competent.
A meeting of the Full Court of the Supreme Court of India held in 2007 had found no justification for deviating from its earlier resolutions on the subject, as the State had assured that all necessary infrastructure facilities, including residential accommodation for Supreme Court judges, would be provided.
