Centre rejects claims on new SC branches

New Delhi: The government has rejected claims that it has decided to expand the "branches" of the Supreme Court to three more locations.

The Press Information Bureau 'fact check' tweeted on Tuesday that the claim was "fake". "A forwarded message is being shared on WhatsApp claiming that the government has decided to expand the branches of the Supreme Court of India to three more locations.This claim is fake," the tweet said.

It said "no such decision" has been taken by the government.

The government has on multiple occasions informed Parliament that the idea of opening a separate bench of the apex court outside Delhi has not found favour with the Supreme Court.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha in September last year, the then Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said representations were received from time to time from various quarters for setting up of Supreme Court benches in various parts of the country.

"The Law Commission, in its 229th report, had also suggested that a Constitution Bench be set up at Delhi and four cassation benches be set up in the northern region at Delhi, the southern region at Chennai/Hyderabad, the eastern region at Kolkata and the western region at Mumbai.

"The idea of a separate Bench of Supreme Court outside Delhi has not found favour with the Supreme Court of India," he had said.