The Guwahati High Court acts as the common High Court for which Indian states in the North-East region?

Introduction / Context:
The Indian judiciary is organised in a hierarchical manner, with each state normally having its own High Court. However, in some regions, a single High Court serves more than one state or Union Territory. The Guwahati High Court is a key example from North-East India. For competitive exams and general-knowledge questions, it is important to know exactly which states fall under the jurisdiction of this High Court, because it reflects the constitutional arrangement and administrative convenience adopted in this region.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The institution in focus is the Guwahati High Court.
• It is located in Guwahati, in the state of Assam.
• The options list individual states and a combined option mentioning Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Assam together.
• We assume the learner knows that North-East India has a special pattern where some High Courts cater to multiple states and that benches may exist in different cities.

Concept / Approach:
Under the Indian Constitution, Parliament can create a common High Court for two or more states. In the North-East, the Guwahati High Court was historically the common High Court for several states, with benches in different capitals. Even though new separate High Courts have been created for some states in recent years, in the commonly tested general-knowledge framework, the Guwahati High Court is remembered as the High Court for Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Therefore, when the options ask you to choose between individual states and the combined option, the best answer is the option that includes all three: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Assam.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify Guwahati as the capital city of Assam and the seat of the Guwahati High Court. Step 2: Recall that historically, this High Court served multiple North-Eastern states, not just Assam alone. Step 3: Note that Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, being smaller and relatively newer states, did not originally have separate High Courts of their own. Step 4: Understand that exam-style general-knowledge questions usually club these three states together under the jurisdiction of the Guwahati High Court. Step 5: Compare the options: options that list only one state are incomplete, whereas the combined option correctly mentions Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Step 6: Conclude that “Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Assam” is the appropriate choice.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard Indian polity and general-knowledge books consistently state that the Guwahati High Court has jurisdiction over Assam as well as some neighbouring North-Eastern states, particularly Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Even when benches or jurisdictional adjustments change over time, the traditional exam answer remains the combined mention of these three states. This confirms that the multi-state option is preferred over any single-state option.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Arunachal Pradesh only: This ignores the fact that Assam and Nagaland have also historically been under the Guwahati High Court.
• Nagaland only: This again isolates just one state and misses Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Assam only: While the High Court is physically in Assam, its jurisdiction has extended beyond Assam, so this answer is incomplete.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to assume that because a High Court is named after one city or state, it must serve only that state. Another pitfall is not being up to date with the general pattern of common High Courts in the North-East. For exam purposes, memorise that the Guwahati High Court is associated with multiple states, and when an option lists “Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Assam” together, that is the most accurate among the given choices.

Final Answer:
The Guwahati High Court functions as the common High Court for Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Assam in the North-East region of India.