Current Affairs - Places - Discussion

The Union Cabinet has recently approved the establishment of Circuit Bench of Calcutta High Court at Jalpaiguri. Te proposed bench will have jurisdiction over four districts namely Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar. The decision comes in the backdrop of the decision of the Calcutta High Court Full Court Meeting in 1988. The Union cabinet had also approved the move in June 2006. A circuit bench is for territories which are far flung, but do not have too many matters to justify a full-fledged permanent bench. The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court building's design is based on the Cloth Hall, Ypres, in Belgium.