Article 214 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of a:

Article 214 says that there shall be a High Court for each state. It is the first Article of Chapter V of Part VI, which deals with the High Courts in the states.

Position of High Courts:

• The High Court is the highest court in a state.
• It stands below the Supreme Court in the judicial hierarchy of India.
• Below it are the district courts and other lower courts.

History of High Courts in India:

• The first High Courts were set up under the Indian High Courts Act, 1861, at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, in the 1860s.
• More High Courts were set up later in other provinces.

Composition:

• Every High Court consists of a Chief Justice and such other judges as the President may appoint from time to time.
• The number of judges is not fixed by the Constitution.

Powers of High Courts:

• Power to hear certain matters directly, such as election petitions.
• Writ jurisdiction under Article 226, which is wider than the Supreme Court's writ jurisdiction under Article 32, because it covers legal rights as well as Fundamental Rights.
• Appellate jurisdiction over lower courts in civil and criminal cases.
• Supervisory jurisdiction over all courts and tribunals in its territory under Article 227, except military tribunals.
• Power of judicial review.

Status as a court of record:

A High Court is a court of record and can punish for contempt of itself.

Independence of High Courts:

• Judges have security of tenure and cannot be removed except by a special procedure in Parliament.
• Their salaries cannot be reduced to their disadvantage during their term, except in a financial emergency.
• Their conduct cannot be discussed in the state legislature.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Supreme Court is established by Article 124.
• ✗District courts are covered by Articles 233 to 237.
• ✗Good to know
• ✗Lok Adalats are set up by a law of Parliament, not by Article 214.