Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a Supreme Court bench in Chennai, saying the distance and cost of travelling to Delhi restrict access to justice for litigants from southern states.Calling it a long-pending demand first raised by Tamil Nadu in 1980, Vijay urged PM Modi to take up the issue afresh with the Supreme Court and seek reconsideration of its earlier stand.He cited Article 130 of the Constitution, which allows the Supreme Court to sit outside Delhi at places decided by the Chief Justice of India with the President’s approval.DISTANCE, COST HINDER ACCESS TO JUSTICEVijay said the Constitution’s framers intended all citizens, rich or poor, to have direct access to the Supreme Court. However, he argued that the remedy under Article 32 was, in practice, more accessible to those living near the court or able to afford litigation and travel expenses.

A bench in Chennai would ease these difficulties for litigants across southern states, he said.The Chief Minister also cited Chennai’s legal expertise and the institutional history of the Madras High Court, established in 1862, to support the demand. A Supreme Court bench in Chennai would reflect the country’s federal character, he said.

He argued that the move would not affect judicial independence, as control over the bench would remain with the Chief Justice of India.SUPREME COURT’S EARLIER STANDVijay recalled that the Supreme Court’s Full Court had declined to reconsider its stand against setting up benches outside Delhi at a meeting on August 7, 2007.This was despite Tamil Nadu’s assurance that it would provide the necessary infrastructure, including suitable residential accommodation for Supreme Court judges, he said.He also referred to a July 13, 2016 order in the V Vasanthakumar case, saying questions concerning the establishment of a Supreme Court bench had been referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench.Urging the Prime Minister to pursue the proposal again, Vijay cited recommendations by Parliamentary Standing Committees in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2021, along with Law Commission reports supporting permanent regional benches.- Ends