The Bombay High Court is a venerable judicial institution and a chartered High Court, one of the oldest in India, serving as the apex court for the states of Maharashtra and Goa, and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Its origin dates back to the Indian High Courts Act, 1861, which empowered the Crown to establish High Courts in the Presidency Towns. It was formally inaugurated on August 14, 1862, following a Letters Patent issued by Queen Victoria on June 26, 1862. This establishment solved the problem of a fragmented judiciary by fusing the jurisdictions of the former Supreme Court of Bombay and the Sudder Adalats.
The court functions with both Original Jurisdiction over high-value civil and serious criminal matters in Mumbai, and Appellate Jurisdiction over decisions from subordinate courts within its territory. It is authorized by the Constitution of India and exercises extraordinary writ jurisdiction under Article 226 for the enforcement of fundamental rights. Its principal seat is in Mumbai, with permanent benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji (Goa). Judges are appointed by the President of India under Article 217 and hold office until the age of 62. Judgments from the High Court can be appealed to the Supreme Court of India under Article 136.
Despite the city's name change in 1995, the court retains its original name, though a bill to rename it as the Mumbai High Court (The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016) was introduced in 2016 but subsequently lapsed. A recent change is the establishment of a new circuit bench at Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, with sittings scheduled to commence from August 18, 2025.