Concept:Article 231 of the Constitution empowers the Parliament to establish a common High Court for two or more states (or for states and a Union territory).
Explanation:• Article 231 is located in Part VI (The States) of the Constitution.
• It was substituted by the Constitution (7th Amendment) Act, 1956, and was not part of the original Constitution.
• The Article states: "Parliament may by law establish a common High Court for two or more States or for two or more States and a Union territory."
• Currently, India has three common High Courts: (i) Punjab & Haryana High Court (sitting at Chandigarh), (ii) Guwahati High Court serving Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, and (iii) the Common High Court for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (though now separate High Courts exist under new Acts).
• The power is exclusively vested in the Parliament, not in the Supreme Court (Articles 124-147), the President (Article 52), or the Union Cabinet (Article 75).
• Hence, only the Parliament can create or alter common High Courts through legislation.
Answer:The power under Article 231 is granted to the Parliament.