Mumbai, Aug. 2 -- In a landmark development for western Maharashtra, the state government on Friday issued a notification announcing the establishment of a fourth bench of the Bombay High Court in Kolhapur. The circuit bench will become operational from August 18, 2025, following the appointment of judges by the High Court. A circuit bench of the Bombay High Court, operates with judges temporarily assigned from the principal seat in Mumbai and other benches, sitting on designated days to hear cases. The bench will provide significant assistance in making the administration of justice more efficient. The bench will cater to the districts of Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg, benefiting citizens who had struggled for many years for this facility. The order, signed by chief justice Alok Aradhe, states, "I appoint Kolhapur as a place at which Judges and Division Courts of the High Court may also sit, with effect from August 18, 2025." Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the move, calling it a "long-pending demand" from the region. "This will significantly ease the burden on litigants by saving them time, money and effort," he said. Currently, the Bombay High Court operates from its principal seat in Mumbai, with three additional benches - in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Goa. "This is a historic moment. Justice will now be delivered at the doorstep of people in the region," said senior advocate Rajiv Chavan, former president of the Advocates Association of Western India....