New Delhi, Dec. 19 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday gave its seal of approval to the decision of the Bombay high court to constitute the Kolhapur bench in August this year observing that it promotes the constitutional vision of bringing justice closer to the people. Deciding a petition filed by advocate Ranjeet Baburao Nimbalkar who brought a constitutional challenge against the HC's notification in August, the top court found no discrimination in constituting a bench in one place when similar requests are pending with regard to other places. Such choices, it said, are based on distance from the principal seat of the high court, volume of litigation, feasibility and institutional capacity. The bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria said, "The establishment of the Kolhapur Bench is in consonance with the constitutional vision of bringing justice closer to the people, and it does not infringe Article 21 in any manner." The Kolhapur bench was inaugurated by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai. On examining the facts of the case, the bench noted that the Kolhapur bench was meant to service a cluster of districts including Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. "These districts are situated at a substantial distance from the principal seat of the High Court. The decision to appoint Kolhapur as an additional place of sitting thus bears a clear and reasonable nexus with the object of facilitating access to justice for litigants from that region," the top court said....