The Calcutta High Court is a judicial institution and the oldest High Court in India, serving as the apex court for the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was formally opened on July 1, 1862, as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William. Its creation was authorized by the High Courts Act, 1861, passed by the British Parliament, and a Letters Patent dated May 14, 1862, issued by Queen Victoria. This Act solved the problem of a dual judicial system by abolishing the conflicting jurisdictions of the Supreme Court and the Sadar Adalats in the Presidency towns, unifying them into a single High Court.
The High Court functions under the authority of the Constitution of India, with its powers primarily outlined in Article 226. Under this article, the court has the power to issue directions, orders, or writs, including Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Certiorari, and Quo Warranto, for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights and for "any other purpose". Its jurisdiction was extended to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the Calcutta High Court (Extension of Jurisdiction) Act, 1953. The court has its principal seat in Kolkata and operates Circuit Benches in Port Blair and Jalpaiguri.
The Calcutta High Court is one of the three original Chartered High Courts, alongside those in Bombay and Madras. Although the city's name was officially changed to Kolkata in 2001, the institution retains its original name. A bill to rename it as the Kolkata High Court was approved by the Union Cabinet on July 5, 2016, but the name change has not yet been enacted by Parliament.