No Proposal for Gujarat High Court Bench in Surat: Centre

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — Hopes of a Gujarat High Court bench in Surat have suffered a setback after the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha that no proposal is currently pending for its establishment. The statement has disappointed thousands of litigants and legal practitioners in South Gujarat who continue to travel nearly 270 kilometres to Ahmedabad for hearings and filing petitions.

Responding to a question raised on February 12, 2026 by Surat MP Govind Laljibhai Dholakia, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal clarified in the Rajya Sabha that “there is no complete proposal pending with the Government of India for setting up a Gujarat High Court bench in Surat.”

The Minister explained that a High Court bench can only be established after a formal proposal is submitted by the state government, along with the consent of the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court and the Governor, in line with recommendations of the Jaswant Singh Commission and Supreme Court guidelines.

Currently, the principal seat of the Gujarat High Court functions from Ahmedabad and has no additional benches.

The absence of a local bench means litigants, especially from Surat, Valsad, Navsari and Tapi districts, must bear the cost and inconvenience of frequent travel to Ahmedabad. “For many middle-class families, repeated travel, accommodation and legal expenses become a heavy burden,” said a senior Surat-based advocate. “A bench in Surat would drastically improve access to justice.”

Another lawyer added, “Surat is one of the fastest-growing cities in India. The volume of cases from South Gujarat justifies a permanent bench.”

With no proposal currently before the Centre, the demand for a Gujarat High Court bench in Surat remains in limbo, leaving the legal fraternity awaiting decisive action from the state government.