Kerala High Court

The High Court of Kerala is the highest court of the Indian state of Kerala and of the Union territory of Lakshadweep, and it sits in Kochi. It draws its writ power from Article 226 of the Constitution of India and has original, appellate and revisional jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters, plus superintendence over all subordinate courts and tribunals in its territory. Its predecessor, the High Court of Travancore-Cochin, was set up at Kochi on 7 July 1949; the present court was established on 1 November 1956 when the States Reorganisation Act joined Travancore-Cochin with Malabar and Kasaragod, and the Kerala High Court Act of 1958 defined its functions. Its sanctioned strength is 35 permanent judges including the Chief Justice plus 12 additional judges, and it moved into a new nine-floor building inaugurated on 11 February 2006.