About High Court of Bombay at Goa:
The establishment of the Bombay High Court Bench at Panaji opened a new chapter in the long and brilliant Judicial history of this Territory. Just before the advent of the Portuguese to India, Goa was ruled by Adilshah, Sultan of Bijapur He was the head of the Sultanate Judicial system, which had, at the top a Qazi. Below the Qazi, there were Judicial Magistrates, such as Vazirs and Amirs vested with original and appellate powers within their territorial jurisdiction. There were also other subordinate Judicial Officers. The Portuguese, at the beginning, did not alter the Judicial system which was in vogue at the time of the conquest of Goa; but gradually, they went on introducing their Judicial system. At the beginning, somewhere in 1526, the usages and customs of the Gaonkars were codified and a chapter was introduced. Later on, a Chief Judicial Authority was appointed known as Tanador-mor and only in serious cases the Chief Captain and the Governor General of the Portuguese possessions in India were looking into them. Afterwards, the Portuguese appointed a Judicial Officer known as Ouvidor Geral or Auditor General. Finally, in the year 1544, a High Court was created and was designated as Tribunal de Relacao das Indias. The said High Court was headed by a Chancellor and had 3 sitting Judges. In the year 1774, the Portuguese Prime Minister Marques of Pombal abolished the Tribunal de Relacao and reintroduced the office of the Auditor- General with all the powers of the High Court. The Tribunal de Ralacao (High Court) was however re-established in 1776 and a Chancellor was to preside over the said Court with a Bench of 5 Judges.