Mumbai CJI BR Gavai on Sunday inaugurated the Bombay High Court's new circuit bench in Kolhapur district. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde were present on the occasion.

The setting up of the fourth bench in Kolhapur comes amid demands from various quarters over the years so as to ease the burden on litigants and lawyers who have to travel to Mumbai, located 380 km away, for hearing of their pleas.

At present, apart from the principal bench in Mumbai, the HC has two more benches - at Nagpur in Vidarbha region and Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) in the state's Marathwada region. A third bench sits in adjoining Goa.