Calcutta High Court refuses to interfere in Port Blair renaming row

Port Blair: The Calcutta High Court’s Port Blair circuit bench has refused to interfere in the government’s decision to change the name of the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, saying it is the prerogative of the executive.

On September 13, the central government renamed Port Blair to Sri Vijaya Puram.

Hearing a petition challenging the renaming, a division bench comprising Justices Ravi Krishan Kapur and Prasenjit Biswas on Friday refused to intervene as it is the prerogative of the executive.

The court cited the renaming of Bombay to Mumbai to highlight the executive’s prerogative.

Advocate Prohit Mohan Lall who filed the petition then withdrew it.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said, “While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in India’s freedom struggle and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ unique role in it.”