CHENNAI: Renaming of the iconic Madras high court will not happen anytime soon with the Union and the state Governments differing over the nomenclature - whether to rename it after the Chennai or Tamil Nadu. The Union Government had in July this year formally decided to rename the Madras high court, one of the oldest judicial institutions in the country, as Chennai high court after the name of the metropolis underwent a change two decades back, and introduced it in Parliament.
The High Court (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 19 to allow the names of the Calcutta, Madras and Bombay high courts to be changed to Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai respectively. But, the Tamil Nadu Government on August 1 passed a unanimous resolution in the state Assembly demanding that the Madras high court be renamed after Tamil Nadu.
Since the Tamil Nadu government wanted the high court to be renamed as Tamil Nadu high court and the Calcutta high court objected to its renaming, the Union Government decided to withdraw the Bill from Parliament and introduce a new bill. Sources in the Union Government told Deccan Chronicle that there seems to be a legal hitch in renaming the Madras high court as Tamil Nadu Court since it handles cases from the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry as well.
“Renaming of Madras high court as Chennai high court could have been a smooth affair, but now if we rename it as a Tamil Nadu high court, there might be objections since the institution caters to the legal needs of a neighbouring UT as well,” a senior official said, adding that a few experts feel it could be misunderstood that Puducherry was part of Tamil Nadu if the name change comes into effect.
“The Tamil Nadu government is adamant that it has to be renamed after the state and we cannot rush into the issue. Considering all issues, the Union Government would not want to rush into renaming the high court,” the official said. Union minister of state for law and justice P. P. Chaudhary told Lok Sabha on Wednesday that a new bill will have to be introduced.
“The Central government has sought views from the state governments concerned and the high courts for finalising a fresh bill. No time frame can be fixed for finalising of the fresh bill and its introduction in the parliament,” he said.
