India, Aug. 18 -- Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai on Sunday inaugurated the Bombay High Court's new circuit bench in Kolhapur district, calling it a step towards "cost-effective and time-bound justice" for litigants from south Maharashtra and the adjoining regions of Goa and Karnataka.

The new bench will be functional from today (August 18), with jurisdiction over six districts-Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. It will consist of a division bench comprising justices MS Karnik and Sharmila Deshmukh, and two single benches of justices SG Dige and SG Chapalgaonkar. The division bench will hear matters, including public interest litigations, civil writs, appeals and criminal cases, while the s...