Fact Check : Viral Message About Establishment Of Supreme Court Bench At Bangalore Is Fake News

A message is viral in social media and WhatsApp groups that the Union Government has approved the establishment of a bench for the Supreme Court in Bangalore.

The viral message reads as follows :

"Supreme Bench Court in Bangalore

The Union of India in consultation with His Excellency the President of India and the Hon'ble Court Chief Justice of India has decided to establish the permanent Bench of the Supreme Court in Bangalore.

Several representations were given by the Southern Bar Councils, Advocates Associations and the general public in this regard. The issue was under consideration for more than a decade.

*The prime land measuring more than 80 acres in the heart of the city presently occupied by the Bangalore Golf Club which is under shift, is identified for establishing the Supreme Court bench. *

The permanent bench of the Supreme Court in Bangalore will have 10 sitting benches constituting 3 benches. Special leave petitions and other statutory appeals from the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andra Pradesh will be heard by the Southern Bench of the Supreme Court. - Registrar"

This is a FAKE NEWS. There is absolutely no basis for the statement that the Union Government has approved the establishment of a bench of the Supreme Court at Bangalore.

The demand for regional benches of the Supreme Court has been longstanding. There has been suggestions to split up the functions of Supreme Court into constitutional and appellate matters and to establish National Court of Appeal with benches at regional zones to deal with special leave petitions arising from the respective regions and to confine the function of the Supreme Court to important constitutional issues.  However, no final decision has been taken on the issue yet.

In fact, the Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told the Parliament earlier this week that the issue is sub-judice before the Supreme Court. He also said in his reply that in February 2010, the then Chief Justice of India had informed that the Full Court of the Supreme Court had found no justification for setting up benches of the top court outside Delhi.

In 2016, a writ petition(WP(c) No.36/2016) was filed in the Supreme Court seeking the establishment of a National Court of Appeal with regional benches. On March 14, 2016, a 3-judge bench headed by the then CJI TS Thakur referred the matter to the Constitution Bench and the same is pending. Referring this fact, the Law Minister replied that the matter is sub-judice before the Supreme Court.

Recently, the Attorney General for India KK Venugopal had supported the idea of four different benches for the Court of Appeal, at northern, southern, eastern and western zones.

"This will ensure that the new Supreme Court can hear cases patiently and read and write judgements in peace. At present, the judges are reading briefs until midnight and are straining themselves far more than what a judge should. Of course, a constitutional amendment is needed for this", the AG had said.

The Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu has also made comments supporting regional benches for the apex court.

"It is high time to have Supreme Court Benches in at least four major cities. One could be established in Chennai to start with," he had said at an event in 2019.

Be that as it may, the issue still awaits a final decision. To conclude, it is again alerted that the messages that the establishment of a regional bench for the Supreme Court at Bangalore is a fake message.

Read the reply given by the Law Minister on the matter here.