
An outer view of Bombay High Court in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Bombay High Court on Thursday (August 14, 2025) issued the sitting list for the newly constituted Circuit Bench at Kolhapur with effect from August 18, 2025. The Bench will be inaugurated by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on August 17 at 3:30 p.m.
According to the notification dated August 14, 2025, the Division Bench comprising Justice M.S. Karnik and Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh (Court Room No. 1) will take up, for admission, hearing, order matters and applications of all public interest litigations; civil writ petitions; first appeals; family court appeals; contempt appeals; writ petitions, applications and references relating to tax laws; under Section 13 of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015; letters patent appeals; criminal writ petitions; criminal applications under Section 482 of Cr.P.C./528 of BNNS; criminal appeals; confirmation of death sentence cases with connected appeals; criminal appeals under special statutes pertaining to the Division Bench; criminal contempt petitions; criminal references; all writ petitions relating to furlough, parole, remission and commutation of sentence/premature release; and all other civil and criminal work pertaining to the Division Bench from Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
The Single Benches will be presided over by Justice Shivkumar Dige (Court Room No. 2) and Justice S.G. Chapalgaonkar (Court Room No. 3).
Justice Dige will hear criminal appeals; criminal writ petitions pertaining to Single Bench; criminal applications under Section 482 of Cr.P.C./528 of BNNS pertaining to Single Bench; all criminal revision applications; all regular bail applications; all anticipatory bail applications; all first appeals; all miscellaneous civil applications; and all other criminal work pertaining to Single Bench. He is appointed to hear and decide matters under the arbitration and conciliation Act, 1996.
Justice Chapalgaonkar will hear all civil writ petitions pertaining to Single Bench; second appeals; civil revision applications; appeals against orders; and all other civil work pertaining to Single Bench. He is appointed to hear and decide the matters under the Companies Act, 1956, the Companies Act, 2013 and the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The note to the sitting list states that matters wherein the Apex Court has passed an order for expeditious or time-bound hearing, and matters of senior citizens or marginalised sections, will be given priority. Criminal appeals pending for more than five years in which the accused is in jail will also be given priority.
It further provides that all judges designated to try election petitions under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, shall assign a date in the week to deal with such petitions; contempt petition (civil) will be taken up by the concerned Bench before which the main matter is pending; and upon change of roster, part-heard matters shall stand released unless all parties jointly request retention and the Chief Justice approves.
Published – August 15, 2025 07:33 am IST