Types of Courts in INDIA (2024)

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Types of Courts in INDIA (1)

The present article deals with the hierarchy of the court in India and what type of court usually found in our country’s judicial system. The Judicial system of law in India is a common law in which customs, precedents, and legislation all have justiciability in the court of law. This type of system, in fact, is a legacy of the British legal system constituted by the then colonial powers and the princely states since the mid-19th century and has partly retained features of practices from the ancient and medieval times.

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India is one of the largest countries in the world with an enormous (2nd largest in the world) population and it has a very strong legal system that is ingrained with the structure of the various courts and the whole judicial system is arranged in hierarchical order.

There are four types of courts in India, i.e., Supreme Court, High Court, District Court, and subordinate courts. The seat of the Supreme court is in New Delhi. There are 25 High courts in India as of now, the newest one is Andhra Pradesh High Court. Each district of India has a District Court.

Read Also – How Judges of Indian Court are appointed?

Hierarchy of Courts in India

The main characteristics of the Indian judicial system are its hierarchical composition of courts. This type of system is capable enough to make limitation of court with its jurisdiction and power in terms of exercising it. The Supreme Court of India which is also considered as the Apex court of the nation is placed at the top of the hierarchical position followed by those 25 High Courts in the regional level and lower courts (District court or session court) at micro-level with the distribution of power and using or exercising of the same for the welfare of people of India.

  1. Supreme Court of India-

The Supreme court of India is the apex court or the highest judicial body. It is also considered as the highest constitutional court having the power of Judicial review and the last and the final court of appeal (which made against any subordinate court like High Courts or any tribunals) under the Indian Constitution. It consisting basically all type of jurisdictional power like Original, Appellate and Advisory. The composition of the court is that it consists of 30 judges + a Chief Justice of India means a maximum of 31 judges can appoint at a time in the Court.

The actual duty of any court in India is to safeguard the Part III of the Indian Constitution, i.e., Fundamental Right of the Citizens also settling disputes between various government authorities along with central vs. state or state versus some other state of the country. As part of Advisory court, this court also hears the matter which sometimes referred by the President of India. As the apex court of the country, the law declared by the supreme court is binding in all over the Nation ( power is given under Article 142 ), and it is the duty of the president to enforce the decree of this court.

2. High Courts-

The High Court is the supreme judicial body in a state, and According to the Article 214 of the constitution of India, each state of India must have a High Court, and It is also considered as the final interpreter of the constitution after the Supreme Court. High Court exercises its original civil and criminal jurisdiction only if the lower courts are not authorized by law to try such kind of matters for lack of pecuniary (monetary), territorial jurisdiction, and lastly, this court also has original jurisdiction too sometimes.

3. District Courts

Each and every district is consist of a district court in a state or Union territories, The actual basis of constituting of district courts in India almost depends upon the discretion of the state governments or the government of union territories. The compositions are based on such factors as how much cases are register, or total population or actual scenario of the district, etc. Depending upon those factors involved the state government may give the decision of numbers of District Courts to be in operation for the single district, or two districts may be a single district court.

4. Subordinate Court-

Lastly, although each court is a subordinate court of someone except the Supreme Court. As High Court is the subordinate court of the Supreme court, District and session court are the subordinate courts of the high court, but in the conceptual term, a subordinate court basically denotes the village court known as Lok Adalat or Nyay Adalat which means the service of justice is now extended to the villagers of India. The village people may not come to all away from their village to nearby district city. This system becomes part of the judicial system started from Madras Village Courts act 1888 for resolving disputes at the micro-level.

Read Also – Salary of Judges In India

How many types of courts are there in India, and what is the hierarchy of the Indian judicial system?

India has four main types of courts in its hierarchical judicial system – the Supreme Court (apex court), High Courts (state-level supreme judicial bodies), District Courts (at the district level), and Subordinate Courts (including village courts). The Supreme Court is the highest constitutional court with powers of judicial review and final appeal.

Conclusion-

So these are basic types of courts exists in the country in hierarchical form. There are so many other courts, or tribunals were also there, but they come under the ambit of the courts, which already mentioned above. Like in District Court, there is a session court, mediation courts, consumer forum, etc. were there. For knowing more about the types of the district court or its composition or how does it work, read out the next article which discussed in detail about the District Court. Along with its type and structure.

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Hierarchy of Courts in IndiaTypes of Courts in INDIA

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Types of Courts in INDIA (2024)

FAQs

How many types of courts are there in India? ›

The Indian judicial system follows the common law system based on recorded judicial precedents as inherited from the British colonial legacy. The court system of India comprises the Supreme Court of India, the High Courts and subordinate courts at district, municipal and village levels.

What is the structure of courts in India answer? ›

The judiciary in India has a pyramidal structure with the Supreme Court (SC) at the top. High Courts are below the SC, and below them are the district and subordinate courts. The lower courts function under the direct superintendence of the higher courts.

What are the top three courts of India? ›

Judiciary of India
Service overview
Legal personalityJudiciary
DutiesJustice Administration Public Interest Litigation Guardian of the Constitution
Hierarchy of Courts in India1. Supreme Court 2. High Court 3. District Court 4. Executive /Revenue Court
Post DesignationJustice Judge Magistrate - Judicial & Executive
12 more rows

How many common courts are there in India? ›

There are 6 common high courts in India viz., Bombay high court, Madras high court, Kerala high court, Punjab and Haryana high court, Kolkata high court, and Guwahati high court. Their courts have jurisdiction over more than one state or UT.

What is the order of courts in India? ›

They form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, with the Supreme Court of India at the top, followed by High Courts of respective states with district judges sitting in District Courts and Magistrates of Second Class and Civil Judge (Junior Division) at the bottom.

What are the four types of courts? ›

Court Role and Structure
  • Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. ...
  • Courts of Appeals. There are 13 appellate courts that sit below the U.S. Supreme Court, and they are called the U.S. Courts of Appeals. ...
  • District Courts. ...
  • Bankruptcy Courts. ...
  • Article I Courts.

What is the legal system of India? ›

India's legal system is drawn from three primary sources: the common law, religious law, and civil ('romanist') law. Departures from English law have been made according to what India's legislators deem the unique conditions of India and considerations of equity.

Which is the highest court in India? ›

Supreme Court of India came into existence on 26th January, 1950 and is located on Tilak Marg, New Delhi. The Supreme Court of India functioned from the Parliament House till it moved to the present building.

What are the criminal courts in India? ›

In India, the most authoritative criminal court is the Supreme Court of India. It is followed by the High Court, Sessions Court and finally the Judicial and Executive Magistrates.

What are the three structure of courts in India? ›

Read and refer to this handy guide about the hierarchical structure of Indian courts. Briefly, our judicial system is divided into three verticals: Supreme Court, High Courts and District Courts. The Supreme Court is the apex court, followed by 25 High Courts, and District Courts are at the bottom tier.

Which is the lowest court in India? ›

There is a three-tier system of courts. On the civil side, at the lowest level is the court of Civil Judge (Junior Division). On criminal side, the lowest court is that of the Judicial Magistrate 1st class. Civil Judge (Junior Division) decides civil cases of small pecuniary stake.

Which is the oldest high court in India? ›

The Calcutta High Court is the oldest high court in the country, established on 2 July 1862. High courts that handle numerous cases of a particular region have permanent benches established there. Benches are also present in states which come under the jurisdiction of a court outside its territorial limits.

How many Supreme Court are in India? ›

The Constitution of 1950 envisaged a Supreme Court with one Chief Justice and 7 puisne Judges. The number of SC judges was increased by the Parliament and currently, there are 34 judges including the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Is there common law in India? ›

India is primarily considered to be a common law country.

How many Supreme courts are there in India in India? ›

“The judicial Power States power was vested in one supreme, and in such lower Courts as even the Congress might ordain and create from time to time,” it states. Ans: The Supreme Court of India, the country's highest court, presently consists of 32 justices (and including Chief Justice of India).

How many Supreme courts are India? ›

“The judicial Power States power was vested in one supreme, and in such lower Courts as even the Congress might ordain and create from time to time,” it states. Ans: The Supreme Court of India, the country's highest court, presently consists of 32 justices (and including Chief Justice of India).

Which is the 25th High Court in India? ›

High courts
#CourtAct
22Sikkim High CourtThe 36th Amendment to the Indian Constitution
23Telangana High CourtAndhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
24Tripura High CourtNorth-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012
25Uttarakhand High CourtUttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000
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