Seat of the Supreme Court
Official heading: “Seat of Supreme Court”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part V, Article 130, printed page 61
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- Not yet checked
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1. In One Sentence
Article 130 establishes Delhi as the seat of the Supreme Court, while empowering the Chief Justice of India, with the approval of the President, to hold sittings in other places.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 130 defines the geographic seat of the apex court of the Indian Republic.
It designates Delhi as the principal seat of the Supreme Court of India.
However, to accommodate the vast geographical scale of the nation and ensure access to justice, it provides that the Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi 'or in such other place or places, as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the President, from time to time, appoint'.
Constitutional Discretion: The power to establish regional benches or circuit sittings outside Delhi is entirely discretionary and vests exclusively in the Chief Justice of India subject to presidential approval. The Supreme Court has ruled that no court can issue a writ of mandamus to compel the CJI to set up regional benches.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
Litigants and bar associations in southern India petition the High Court seeking a court order compelling the Supreme Court to open a permanent bench in Chennai.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 130 establishes the capital seat of the Supreme Court while preserving institutional flexibility for regional sittings.
- Delhi is designated as the primary constitutional seat.
- CJI has authority to appoint other places with presidential approval.
- Exclusive discretion: Cannot be mandated through judicial orders or public interest litigation.
- Maintains the unified, indivisible character of the apex court.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part V, Article 130, printed page 61 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.