BRS MP seeks permanent Supreme Court bench in Hyderabad

BRS Parliamentary Party leader Vaddiraju Ravichandra urged the Centre to establish a permanent Supreme Court bench in Hyderabad during a Rajya Sabha debate. While supporting an increase in Supreme Court judges, he said the move would improve access to justice for southern States.

Hyderabad: BRS Parliamentary Party leader Vaddiraju Ravichandra urged the Centre to establish a permanent Supreme Court bench in Hyderabad to make justice more accessible and affordable for people across southern India. He said the demand was not confined to Telangana but represented a long-standing aspiration of people across southern India.

Participating in the Rajya Sabha debate on the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, Ravichandra supported the proposal to increase the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, noting that more than 92,000 cases are pending before the apex court.

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He said the increase would facilitate additional benches and the regular functioning of Constitution benches. However, he argued that expanding the number of judges should be accompanied by steps to bring the Supreme Court closer to the people.

Ravichandra said litigants from southern States have had to travel to Delhi for important cases since Independence, imposing substantial expenses on ordinary farmers, employees, students, traders and middle-class families.

He proposed Hyderabad as the ideal location for a permanent southern bench, citing its central accessibility to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and Lakshadweep.