PIL Moved in HC to Rename Allahabad High Court as High Court of Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi: A lawyer has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Allahabad High Court to rename the Court as the High Court of Uttar Pradesh. 

A plea was moved by Lucknow-based advocate Deepanker Kumar. The plea was filed through his counsel Asok Pandey. The petitioner argued that the practice of naming a High Court after the city in which is located was a practice taken on by British colonial rulers. 

The petitioner stated that this particular practice should not continue in independent Bharat, further after the adoption of the Constitution. 

The plea stated, “All the High Courts in the country are the creation of the Constitution and not of some law made or charter issued by the 'Invader' British Government and so, after the Constitution came into being, it was duty of the Government to re-name the existing High Courts after the name of the State to which they belong.”

The petitioner sought the directions to rename the Allahabad High Court Rules 1952 as Uttar Pradesh High Court Rules. 

The petitioner cited the ambiguity related to the correct name of Allahabad High Court has caused confusion among the advocates, the general public, state officials, judges and court registry officials. 

He further stated that some refer to the Court as Allahabad High Court, while others choose to call it the high Court of Uttar Pradesh.

It is pertinent to note that the petitioner also submitted that there is a need to relook the division of jurisdiction between the two Benches of the Allahabad High Court. 

Another PIL filed on this issue in 2021 is already pending before the High Court.