The Calcutta High Court is a judicial institution and the oldest High Court in India, officially known as The High Court at Calcutta. It is a constitutional court established under Article 214 of the Constitution of India, with a sanctioned judge strength of 72.
Its origin dates back to the British Raj, formally opening on July 1, 1862, under the High Courts Act, 1861, and a Letters Patent dated May 14, 1862, issued by Queen Victoria. It was one of the three original Chartered High Courts (along with Bombay and Madras) and succeeded the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William, solving the problem of establishing a unified judicial system.
The Court's mechanism involves exercising jurisdiction over the State of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It functions as a court of record under Article 215 and exercises writ jurisdiction under Article 226, allowing it to issue prerogative writs like Habeas Corpus and Mandamus to enforce fundamental rights. It also holds supervisory jurisdiction over subordinate courts under Article 227. A unique feature is its Original Side jurisdiction, shared with the Bombay and Madras High Courts, which handles high-value civil suits and admiralty matters.
The Court's territorial reach was extended to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the Calcutta High Court (Extension of Jurisdiction) Act, 1953. Although the city's name changed to Kolkata in 2001, the institution retains its original name because the High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19, 2016, to rename it to Kolkata High Court, has not yet been passed by Parliament.