Madras High Court

The Madras High Court one of the landmarks of the metropolis of Chennai (Madras), India, and believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world[citation needed], is located near the beach, one of the important central business districts of Chennai (Madras).

Madras High Court was established on 26 June 1862 as one of the three High Courts of India (others at Bombay and Calcutta) established at Presidency Towns by Letters Patent granted by Queen Victoria.[1] The jurisdiction of the Madras High Court extends to Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.


Although the name of the city was changed from Madras to Chennai in 1996, the Court as an institution did not follow suit and remained as the Madras High Court.

Along with the Bombay and Calcutta High Courts, it is one of three Courts which were designated as Supreme Courts for their respective Presidencies prior to the Indian High Courts Act, 1861. The Court has a Letters Patent issued by the British Crown and has been a pioneer in Original Side jurisdiction reform in favour of Indian practitioners, as early as in the 1870s. It is one of the three Chartered High Courts in the country, alongside Bombay and Calcutta.

Madras High Court, along with High Courts of Bombay and Calcutta are unique in Indian legal history, since they have been created under Queen's charter in 19th Century, unlike other High Courts of India, which have been created only under the Indian Constitution. Madras High Court is recognized and ratified by the Indian Constitution. However, being a chartered High Court, the decisions of the Privy Council are still binding on the Madras High Court, as long as the ratio involved in the case is not overruled by the Supreme Court of India.