Part VI
Article 231

Establishment of a common High Court for two or more States

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the preceding provisions of this Chapter, Parliament may by law establish a common High Court for two or more States or for two or more States and a Union territory.

(2) In relation to any such High Court,—

(b) the reference in article 227 to the Governor shall, in relation to any rules, forms or tables for subordinate courts, be construed as a reference to the Governor of the State in which the subordinate courts are situate; and

(c) the references in articles 219 and 229 to the State shall be construed as a reference to the State in which the High Court has its principal seat:

Provided that if such principal seat is in a Union territory, the references in articles 219 and 229 to the Governor, Public Service Commission, Legislature and Consolidated Fund of the State shall be construed respectively as references to the President, Union Public Service Commission, Parliament and Consolidated Fund of India.

Version 1

Article 231, Constitution of India 1950

Where a High Court exercises jurisdiction in relation to any area outside the State in which it has its principal seat, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed—

(a) as empowering the Legislature of the State in which the Court has its principal seat to increase, restrict or abolish that jurisdiction;

(b) as empowering the Legislature of a State specified in Part A or Part B of the First Schedule in which any such area is situate, to abolish that jurisdiction; or

(c) as preventing the Legislature having power to make laws in that behalf for any such area, from passing, subject to the provisions of clause (b), such laws with respect to the jurisdiction of the Court in relation to that area as it would be competent to pass if the principal seat of the Court were in that area.

Summary

This Article in its present form was not debated in the Constituent Assembly. It was substituted by the Constitution (7th Amendment) Act, 1956.