High Court Upholds Name Change of Port Blair to Sri Vijaya Puram

The Calcutta High Court’s Port Blair circuit bench has declined to interfere with the government's renaming of the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Port Blair to Sri Vijaya Puram, emphasizing it as the executive's prerogative. A related petition was subsequently withdrawn.

In a significant decision, the Calcutta High Court's Port Blair circuit bench has affirmed the government's authority to rename the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, dismissing a petition against the change.

On September 13, the central government officially rebranded Port Blair to Sri Vijaya Puram. Highlighting the executive's prerogative, the division bench of Justices Ravi Krishan Kapur and Prasenjit Biswas refused to interfere with the decision.

Citing the renaming of Bombay to Mumbai as a precedent, the court reinforced the executive's right to such decisions. Following the court's stance, Advocate Prohit Mohan Lall retracted his petition. Union Home Minister Amit Shah remarked that the new name symbolically represents India's freedom struggle triumph and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands' special contribution to it.

(With inputs from agencies.)