Article 225

Jurisdiction of Existing High Courts

Official heading: “Jurisdiction of existing High Courts.”

Check this article against the official editionAwaiting human legal review

Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part VI, Article 225, printed page 104
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Article 225 preserves the pre-Constitution jurisdiction, powers, and rule-making authority of existing High Courts, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and applicable legislation.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 225 provides historical and institutional continuity for the High Courts that were functioning before the commencement of the Constitution on 26 January 1950.

Preservation of Existing Powers: Subject to the provisions of the Constitution and any law enacted by the appropriate Legislature, the jurisdiction, law administered, powers to make rules of court, and powers to regulate sittings (single bench and division benches) of existing High Courts are fully preserved.

Abolition of Colonial Revenue Bar: The proviso historically abolished colonial-era statutory restrictions (such as under the Government of India Act, 1935) that barred High Courts from exercising original jurisdiction in matters concerning revenue assessment and collection.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

A party in a civil suit raises a technical objection regarding whether a High Court can frame its own Original Side rules for filing pleadings.

Core takeaway: Under Article 225, the established rule-making powers and procedural jurisdiction of existing High Courts are constitutionally preserved.

Illustrative Notice: Existing jurisdiction is subject to the Constitution; an old colonial rule cannot violate fundamental rights or constitutional writ powers under Article 226.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 225 maintains legal continuity between the colonial-era and independent constitutional courts.

Preserves pre-existing civil, criminal, and procedural jurisdiction.
Protects High Court powers to regulate internal bench sittings and make court rules.
Abolished colonial restrictions on revenue jurisdiction.
Subordinated to the Constitution and modern legislative statutes.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

Subject to the provisions of this Constitution and to the provisions of any law of the appropriate Legislature made by virtue of powers conferred on that Legislature by this Constitution, the jurisdiction of, and the law administered in, any existing High Court, and the respective powers of the Judges thereof in relation to the administration of justice in the Court, including any power to make rules of Court and to regulate the sittings of the Court and of members thereof sitting alone or in Division Courts, shall be the same as immediately before the commencement of this Constitution: Provided that any restriction to which the exercise of original jurisdiction by any of the High Courts with respect to any matter concerning the revenue or concerning any act ordered or done in the collection thereof was subject immediately before the commencement of this Constitution shall no longer apply to the exercise of such jurisdiction.

Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata

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Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part VI, Article 225, printed page 104 • 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.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource