High Courts in India 2026: Total Number, Jurisdiction and List

Introduction

India has 25 High Courts as of 2026, each standing at the apex of the judicial hierarchy within its territorial jurisdiction. High Courts are the highest courts of appeal in civil and criminal matters for their respective states or union territories, exercise writ jurisdiction under Article 226, and supervise all subordinate courts and tribunals under Article 227. The Calcutta High Court, Bombay High Court and Madras High Court were the first three, established in 1862 under the Indian High Courts Act 1861. The most recent additions were the three common High Courts that serve the northeastern states, carved out in 2013.

For the UPSC aspirant, the High Courts topic is unavoidable. It cuts across Prelims factual questions such as the exact count and year of creation, Mains GS2 questions on judicial federalism and collegium appointments, and essay prompts on judicial reform. This article consolidates the 2026 list, jurisdictions, benches, appointment procedure, and current debates around the Memorandum of Procedure.

Quick Facts at a Glance

Background and Historical Context

The modern High Court system is a colonial bequest refined by the Indian Constitution. The Indian High Courts Act 1861, passed by the British Parliament under Queen Victoria, replaced the older Supreme Courts established by royal charter in Calcutta (1774), Bombay (1823) and Madras (1800) and the Sadar Diwani Adalats. Under the 1861 Act, three High Courts were created in 1862 at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The Allahabad High Court followed in 1866, initially as the High Court of the North-Western Provinces.

The Government of India Act 1915 and the Government of India Act 1935 entrenched High Courts as constitutional courts. On Independence, the Constituent Assembly preserved the system in Articles 214 to 231 of Part VI, Chapter V. Article 214 mandates a High Court for each state, but Article 231 allows Parliament to establish a common High Court for two or more states or union territories. This flexibility produced common High Courts such as Punjab and Haryana, Bombay, and Guwahati.

Post-independence evolution has been driven by state reorganisations. When the northeastern states were carved out of Assam, the Gauhati High Court served all seven NE states until 2013. The Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur High Courts were then created on 23 March 2013. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana operated under a common High Court until 1 January 2019, when the Andhra Pradesh High Court was bifurcated at Amaravati and the Telangana High Court established at Hyderabad, bringing the total to 25.

Key Features

Total count and list

As of 2026 there are 25 High Courts in India: Allahabad, Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, Calcutta, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gauhati, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (common HC), Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Manipur, Meghalaya, Orissa, Patna, Punjab and Haryana, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand.

Composition and strength

Each High Court has a Chief Justice and a variable number of puisne judges, determined by the President under Article 216 based on workload. The sanctioned strength of Indian High Courts in 2026 is about 1,114 judges, with Allahabad being the largest at 160 sanctioned judges and Sikkim among the smallest at three.

Appointment and tenure

Judges are appointed by the President under Article 217 on the advice of the Collegium, comprising the Chief Justice of India and the two senior-most Supreme Court judges for the Chief Justice of the High Court, and a broader High Court Collegium for puisne judges. The appointment is subject to the Memorandum of Procedure finalised in 1998 and periodically contested. Judges retire at 62 and can be removed only by an address of both Houses of Parliament under Article 124(4), read with Article 217(1)(b).

Jurisdiction

• Original jurisdiction in constitutional matters, election petitions, and for the chartered High Courts Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, in high-value civil matters.
• Appellate jurisdiction over subordinate courts in civil and criminal matters.
• Writ jurisdiction under Article 226 to enforce fundamental rights and for any other purpose, broader than the Supreme Courts Article 32.
• Supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 over all subordinate courts and tribunals within its territorial limits.
• Administrative jurisdiction over subordinate judiciary including appointment, posting and promotion under Article 235.

Benches and circuit benches

Many High Courts have permanent benches beyond the principal seat, allowing geographically equitable access. Notable examples: Bombay HC has benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad, Panaji and Kolhapur; Allahabad HC has a bench at Lucknow; Guwahati HC has benches at Kohima, Aizawl and Itanagar; Madhya Pradesh HC has benches at Indore and Gwalior.

Significance for UPSC and General Knowledge

• Exact count 25 and the 2019 Telangana bifurcation are Prelims-favourite facts.
• Core subject in GS2 for polity and governance, especially collegium and NJAC debates.
• Tests understanding of Articles 214 to 231 in Part VI, Chapter V.
• Relevant to judicial review, writ jurisdiction, and PIL jurisprudence.
• Anchors essay topics on judicial vacancies, pendency and access to justice.
• Links to federal questions on common High Courts and state-level reorganisation.

Detailed Analysis: The Appointments and Vacancy Challenge

The Collegium system has shaped the modern High Court. Since the Second Judges Case of 1993 and the Third Judges Case of 1998, appointment and transfer of High Court judges are substantially controlled by senior judges of the Supreme Court. Parliament attempted to replace the Collegium with the National Judicial Appointments Commission through the 99th Constitutional Amendment and the NJAC Act of 2014. The Supreme Court in Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association vs Union of India 2015, commonly called the Fourth Judges Case, struck down the NJAC as a violation of the basic structure, reaffirming judicial primacy.

Chronic vacancy is the systems persistent pain point. Department of Justice data indicate High Court vacancy levels hovering between 30 and 35 percent for the past decade. As of early 2026 roughly 330 judgeships are vacant against a sanctioned strength of 1,114. Allahabad, Calcutta, Punjab and Haryana and Patna report the highest absolute vacancies. The Memorandum of Procedure, under revision since 2017, remains unsigned owing to disagreements between the executive and the Collegium on national security clauses and secretariat procedure.

Pendency compounds the challenge. The National Judicial Data Grid shows over 62 lakh cases pending in High Courts in 2026, with average disposal times in civil writs extending beyond four years in several Courts. The e-Courts Phase III project, the Supreme Courts Committee on Case Management, and dedicated commercial benches under the Commercial Courts Act 2015 are attempts to address the backlog.

Recent debates include the proposal for regional benches of the Supreme Court, which some argue would reduce the appellate burden on litigants from High Courts far from Delhi. The 229th and 245th Law Commission Reports endorsed this idea; the Supreme Court has resisted on grounds of unity of jurisprudence.

Comparative Perspective

Against the Supreme Courts Article 32 writ jurisdiction, High Court Article 226 is wider because it is available for enforcement of fundamental rights and for any other purpose, including statutory and common-law rights. High Courts also exercise supervisory power under Article 227 that has no direct Supreme Court analogue over the full subordinate judiciary.

Challenges and Criticisms

Three structural challenges define the High Court debate. First, appointments: the Collegium system is criticised for opacity, inadequate regional and gender representation, and slow throughput. As of 2026, women constitute roughly 13 percent of sitting High Court judges, well below targets. Second, infrastructure: several High Courts operate from colonial-era buildings with inadequate digital infrastructure. The e-Courts Phase III, with a Rs 7,000 crore outlay, seeks to upgrade case management systems, virtual hearings and document digitisation.

Third, pendency and access: litigants from remote districts often travel hundreds of kilometres to High Court seats, raising access-to-justice concerns. The Supreme Courts 2020 Gram Nyayalaya judgement and state-level mediation centres are incremental answers. Criticism also targets the concentration of original jurisdiction in a few chartered High Courts and the uneven sanctioned strength across states, with some smaller High Courts accused of judicial underproduction while others remain overwhelmed.

Prelims Pointers

• Total High Courts in India in 2026: 25.
• First three High Courts established in 1862: Calcutta, Bombay, Madras.
• Fourth High Court: Allahabad, 1866.
• Most recent High Courts: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 2019 bifurcation.
• Common High Court serving two states: Punjab and Haryana.
• Common High Court serving three union territories and a state: Bombay HC includes Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
• Constitutional articles: Part VI, Chapter V, Articles 214 to 231.
• Writ jurisdiction: Article 226.
• Supervisory jurisdiction: Article 227.
• Retirement age: 62 years.
• Appointment: President under Article 217 on Collegium recommendation.
• Three northeastern High Courts established in 2013: Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura.

Mains Practice Questions

1. Critically examine the role of the Collegium system in the appointment of High Court judges and the case for reform. (250 words)

• Evolution from First to Fourth Judges Case.
• NJAC strike-down and basic structure argument.
• Reform ideas: MoP revision, search-cum-evaluation committees, transparency norms.

1. Discuss how Articles 226 and 227 make the Indian High Court a uniquely powerful institution within a federal framework. (150 words)

• Wider scope of 226 over Supreme Court Article 32.
• Supervisory power under 227 over subordinate courts and tribunals.
• Role in protecting fundamental rights at the state level.

Conclusion

India in 2026 has 25 High Courts spread across states and union territories, forming a constitutional layer that makes justice locally accessible while maintaining fidelity to the wider judicial hierarchy under the Supreme Court. Their lineage stretches back to 1862, their powers are anchored in Part VI of the Constitution, and their evolution is tied to state reorganisation, collegium jurisprudence and technological reform.

For UPSC preparation, three facts are non-negotiable: the exact count of 25, the role of Articles 226 and 227, and the Collegium vs NJAC debate. Mastering these, along with a working knowledge of the permanent benches and recent jurisdictional changes, equips an aspirant to answer confidently across Prelims MCQs, GS2 structured questions and judicial-reform essays.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many High Courts are there in India in 2026?

India has 25 High Courts in 2026. The first three, at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, were established in 1862 under the Indian High Courts Act 1861. The most recent additions were the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Courts, which came into existence on 1 January 2019 after the bifurcation of the common Hyderabad High Court.

What is a High Court in India?

A High Court is the highest court of appeal within a state or group of states and union territories. It sits at the apex of the state judicial hierarchy under Part VI, Chapter V of the Constitution, exercises writ jurisdiction under Article 226, and supervises all subordinate courts and tribunals under Article 227.

Why are High Courts important for UPSC?

High Courts are central to GS2 polity and governance, covering appointments, collegium debates, writ jurisdiction, judicial review and federal structure. The exact count, year of creation and jurisdictional changes are classic Prelims questions, while issues like the NJAC verdict and the Memorandum of Procedure anchor Mains answers on judicial reform.

How is a High Court related to the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court under Article 141 binds all courts including High Courts, and appeals from High Court judgements flow to it under Articles 132, 133 and 134. However, High Court writ jurisdiction under Article 226 is wider in scope than Supreme Court Article 32 because it covers both fundamental rights and any other purpose, including statutory rights.

Which was the first High Court in India?

The Calcutta High Court is conventionally regarded as the first, established on 1 July 1862 under the Indian High Courts Act 1861, followed within months by Bombay and Madras the same year. The Allahabad High Court was the fourth, established in 1866 as the High Court of the North-Western Provinces.

How are High Court judges appointed?

Judges are appointed by the President under Article 217 on the advice of the Collegium. For the Chief Justice of the High Court the Collegium comprises the Chief Justice of India and the two senior-most Supreme Court judges. A candidate must have been a High Court advocate for at least ten years or held judicial office for ten years.

What is the jurisdiction of a High Court?

Every High Court has original, appellate, writ and supervisory jurisdiction. Original jurisdiction covers constitutional and election matters, with chartered courts like Bombay retaining high-value civil original jurisdiction. Writ jurisdiction under Article 226 covers fundamental rights and other legal rights. Supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 oversees all subordinate courts and tribunals in its territory.

Which High Court serves multiple states or union territories?

Several common High Courts exist. Punjab and Haryana High Court serves both states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Bombay High Court covers Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court is common to the two union territories. Calcutta High Court has jurisdiction over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands via a circuit bench.