The Delhi High Court is a judicial institution, established on October 31, 1966, under the Delhi High Court Act, 1966, to serve as the highest court for the Union Territory of Delhi. Its creation was necessitated by the growing importance and population of Delhi, as the region was previously under the jurisdiction of the High Court of Punjab, which operated a Circuit Bench in Delhi. The Delhi High Court Act, 1966, which was enacted on September 5, 1966, provided for its constitution and jurisdiction.
The court derives its powers from Chapter V in Part VI of the Constitution of India. It functions with three main types of jurisdiction: Original, Appellate, and Supervisory. Its Original Jurisdiction allows it to hear cases as a court of first instance, including the power to issue writs under Article 226 of the Constitution for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights. Under Section 5(2) of the Delhi High Court Act, 1966, it possesses ordinary original civil jurisdiction for suits where the value exceeds a certain pecuniary limit. The court also exercises Appellate Jurisdiction over the decisions of the Subordinate Courts in Delhi, which include the District Courts.
A significant recent change occurred with the Delhi High Court Amendment Act, 2015, which came into force on October 26, 2015. This amendment increased the pecuniary jurisdiction of the District Courts from ₹20 lakh to ₹2 crore, consequently raising the threshold for the Delhi High Court's ordinary original civil jurisdiction to suits valued above ₹2 crore. This change was intended to lessen the burden on the High Court and improve case disposal in the subordinate judiciary. The High Court is connected to the Supreme Court of India as the final court of appeal in the country, and it supervises the 11 Subordinate Courts in Delhi.