High Courts for States
Official heading: “High Courts for States.”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part VI, Article 214, printed page 99
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
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1. In One Sentence
Article 214 establishes the constitutional mandate that there shall be a High Court for each State, functioning as the apex judicial authority within the State.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 214 inaugurates Chapter V of Part VI, creating the constitutional foundation for the High Courts as the highest courts of original, appellate, and writ jurisdiction in the States.
Operative Text: Following the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, the operative text simply and categorically commands: "There shall be a High Court for each State."
Unified Judicial System: While India possesses a federal political structure with separate Union and State legislatures, the judiciary is unified and integrated. The High Courts do not function merely as State courts administering local laws, but administer both Union and State laws under the ultimate appellate superintendence of the Supreme Court of India.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A citizen seeks to challenge an unconstitutional State statute or executive detention in the highest court situated within their State.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 214 establishes the institutional apex of the State judiciary.
- Mandatory constitutional court for every State.
- Operates within India's single, integrated judicial hierarchy.
- Administers both federal and State legislation.
- Subject to common High Court arrangements established by Parliament under Article 231.
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 VI, Article 214, printed page 99 • 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.