Sri Vijaya Puram is set to witness two important judicial sittings in the coming weeks, as both the Calcutta High Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Kolkata Bench have announced circuit sessions for the islands. The decisions are expected to facilitate easier access to justice for residents and government departments, reducing the need to travel to mainland India for hearings.
According to the notification, Hon’ble Justice Biswajit Basu and Hon’ble Justice Ajay Kumar Gupta of the Calcutta High Court will hold a circuit bench at Sri Vijaya Puram between August 25 and September 8, 2025, both days inclusive. This sitting will provide island residents with an opportunity to have their cases heard directly by judges of the High Court without the logistical challenges of attending proceedings in Kolkata.
Immediately following this, the CAT Kolkata Bench has scheduled its circuit sitting in Sri Vijaya Puram from September 8 to September 19, 2025. The Deputy Registrar of CAT informed that fresh applications would also be entertained during the sitting. Departments with pending CAT cases have been directed to coordinate with the Government Pleader and panel advocates, supplying all necessary documents to ensure cases are defended with full preparation.
The announcement carries particular significance for employees and departments of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, as CAT primarily handles service-related disputes involving government employees. Departments have been advised to brief their counsels thoroughly and ensure the presence of nodal officers in the tribunal during hearings. This requirement underscores the importance of timely preparation in defending cases effectively on behalf of the administration.
The coordination between the judiciary and the administration is crucial in ensuring that the circuit sittings serve their intended purpose. While the High Court bench will handle a range of civil, criminal, and writ petitions, the CAT session is expected to focus mainly on service matters, promotions, transfers, disciplinary actions, and related disputes involving government staff. Having both sittings scheduled back-to-back ensures continuity of judicial processes during this period.
Circuit sittings have been a long-standing mechanism to bring the higher judiciary closer to island residents, given the geographical isolation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. For many petitioners, traveling to Kolkata not only incurs significant expenses but also delays the resolution of cases due to logistical constraints. By holding these sessions in Sri Vijaya Puram, both the High Court and the Tribunal are addressing longstanding challenges faced by litigants and government staff in accessing legal remedies.
The presence of senior judges and tribunal members in Sri Vijaya Puram also reinforces the islands’ importance in the judicial map of the country. For litigants, it provides an opportunity to interact directly with the judicial system at a higher level, something often unavailable in routine district-level hearings. For the administration, it is a reminder of the responsibility to ensure that all relevant departments and officers are well-prepared to present their cases.
Over the years, circuit sittings have led to faster disposal of cases in the islands, particularly service matters that directly impact the functioning of government departments. They also help reduce the backlog of cases by enabling judges and tribunal members to address multiple pending matters during their stay in Sri Vijaya Puram.
With two consecutive sittings scheduled, the period from late August to mid-September is expected to be a busy one for the legal and administrative community in Sri Vijaya Puram. Both residents and officials are preparing for the sessions, which highlight the continuing effort to ensure that access to justice is not constrained by geography. The dual sittings underline the judiciary’s commitment to bringing its services closer to people living in remote island territories.
