Constitutional justice does not begin and end in New Delhi, Chief Justice of India says as the Kerala High Court turns seventy
1 November 2026
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant gave the inaugural address at the Kerala High Court's platinum jubilee in Kochi on Kerala Piravi day.
The court was set up in 1956 along with the State, and traces its roots to the Travancore High Court of 1887 and the Travancore-Cochin High Court of 1949.
The CJI said constitutional justice in India is not confined to New Delhi.
He called the Supreme Court and the country's 25 High Courts constitutional partners with complementary roles.
He praised the High Courts for giving citizens effective remedies.
He recalled that Justice Anna Chandy of Kerala was India's first woman High Court judge and Justice M. Fathima Beevi the first woman judge of the Supreme Court.
He also cited the court's 1999 ruling banning smoking in public places, which linked passive smoking to the right to life under Article 21.
In plain words
Platinum jubilee Platinum jubilee celebration — The court's own name for its anniversary celebration marking seven decades.
Article 226 Article 226 of the Constitution of India — Gives High Courts the power to issue writs for fundamental rights and for any other purpose.