Old Parliament building saw the Supreme Court’s earliest sittings

Subject: Polity

Section: Judiciary

Concept:

After its inauguration on January 28, 1950, the Supreme Court commenced its sittings in a part of the Parliament House. The Court moved into the present building on Tilak Marg in 1958. We take a look at its history.
The Chamber of Princes in the parliament building was where the Federal Court of India had sat for 12 years, between 1937 ad 1950. The Supreme Court too began its sittings in the Parliament.

Chamber of Princes

The Chamber of Princes (Narendra Mandal) was an institution established in 1920 by a royal proclamation of King-Emperor George V to provide a forum in which the rulers of the princely states of India could voice their needs and aspirations to the colonial government of British India. It survived until the end of the British Raj in 1947.
The Chamber had an advisory and consultative role. It was represented by 120 princes out of 565 in all.
In all its years of existence, only the rulers of Bikaner, Patiala, Nawanagar and Bhopal were chosen as chancellors of the Chamber of Princes.
The Chamber of Princes usually met only once a year, with the Viceroy of India presiding, but it appointed a Standing Committee which met more often.
The full Chamber elected from its princely ranks a permanent officer styled the Chancellor, who chaired the Standing Committee.
The chamber convened at the Parliament House. Today the hall is used as the parliament’s library.