Tamil Nadu CM seeks Supreme Court bench in Chennai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the establishment of a permanent Supreme Court bench in Chennai. The demand, first raised by the state in 1980, cites the distance and cost of travel to New Delhi as barriers to justice for litigants from southern states.

Vijay referred to Article 130 of the Constitution, which allows the Supreme Court to sit outside Delhi with the President's approval. He noted that the Supreme Court's Full Court in 2007 declined to reconsider its opposition to regional benches, despite Tamil Nadu's offer to provide infrastructure and residential accommodation for judges.

The Chief Minister also cited recommendations by Parliamentary Standing Committees in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2021, and Law Commission reports. The matter was referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench in 2016 in the case V Vasanthakumar vs H C Bhatia and Others.

Update, 4 November 2026: Livelaw.in now also reports the story, confirming the letter's contents and quoting the Chief Minister's argument that Article 32 is practically available only to those geographically close to Delhi or financially privileged. No new facts beyond what the earlier sources reported.