The district judge is the highest judicial authority in a district and has a central role in the administration of justice at the district level. Let's explore the different levels of the judiciary within a district in more detail:
1. District Judge / Sessions Judge
- Role: The district judge handles both civil and criminal cases. He is known as the district judge when dealing with civil matters and as the sessions judge when presiding over criminal matters.
- Jurisdiction: The district judge exercises original and appellate jurisdiction in both civil and criminal matters. He has jurisdiction over all cases in the district and has the authority to impose sentences up to life imprisonment and capital punishment in criminal cases.
- Powers: As a sessions judge, he can impose any sentence, including the death penalty, though such a sentence requires confirmation by the High Court. As the district judge, he can hear appeals from lower courts.
- Supervisory Role: The district judge supervises the functioning of all subordinate courts within the district and has administrative and judicial powers over them.
2. Court of Subordinate Judge / Chief Judicial Magistrate
- Subordinate Judge: This court handles civil cases and has unlimited pecuniary jurisdiction over civil suits. The subordinate judge presides over more significant civil cases within the district.
- Chief Judicial Magistrate: On the criminal side, the chief judicial magistrate deals with criminal cases punishable with imprisonment for a term of up to seven years.
3. Lower Level Courts
- Court of Munsiff: On the civil side, the court of munsiff hears cases of limited pecuniary jurisdiction. These courts deal with small claims and civil matters.
- Court of Judicial Magistrate: On the criminal side, the judicial magistrate tries cases punishable with imprisonment for a term of up to three years.
Overall, the district judiciary operates as a hierarchy, with the district judge at the top, followed by the courts of the subordinate judge and chief judicial magistrate, and finally the courts of the munsiff and judicial magistrate. This hierarchy ensures that there is an organized and structured approach to administering justice within each district. Appeals against decisions made by the district judge or sessions judge can be made to the High Court.
