The high court functions beneath the Supreme Court but above the Subordinate Courts in India's one integrated legal system. A state's judiciary consists of a high court and a hierarchy of subordinate courts. The high court is the highest level of judicial administration in a state.

The institution of a high court originated in India in 1860 when the high courts were set up at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. In 1866, a fourth high court was established at Allahabad. At present, there are 24 high courts in the country.

Although the Indian Constitution provides for a high court in each state, the 7th Amendment Act of 1956 authorised Parliament to establish a joint high court for two or more states or two or more states and a union territory. A high court's territorial jurisdiction is coterminus with a state's territory. Similarly, a common high court's territorial jurisdiction is coterminus with the territories of the concerned state and union territory.

Articles 214 to 231 in Part VI of the Constitution deal with the organisation, independence, jurisdiction, powers, procedures and so on of the high courts.