JOIN USPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Maharashtra’s first ever Permanent Judicial Museum at the Bombay High Court, set up as part of the court’s sesquicentennial celebration.
The high court now has jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The prime minister was taken on walk through the court’s rich history and many of its milestones. Located at the ground floor of the heritage building in Bombay High Court complex, the museum showcases items related to the history of the 150-year-old court.
The Mayor’s Court was the earliest court held here between 1726 and 1798. The Recorder’s Court that followed it functioned till 1824.
The Supreme Court of Bombay, operated between 1824 and 1862, was later turned into the Bombay High Court in 1862.On display at the museum are the Barrister Certificates issued to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1891 and Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1896.
The Barrister Certificates of Dr B R Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, K M Munshi and the first Chief Justice of India, M C Chhagla, among others, are also displayed.
Items like old candle stands with original glass casing, inkpots and paperweights, an original wig and a silver mace are among the judicial paraphernalia exhibited here. A canon dating back to 1850, left behind at the court premises after the demolition of Bombay Fort in 1864 is of historic significance.