LAW, ORDER AND JUSTICE

JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT

The District and Sessions Judge is the head of Judicial department in the district. The judiciary is entirely separated from the executive. The Collector continues to be the District Magistrate and the Deputy Collectors and Mamlatdars are vested with magisterial powers. But those powers are limited to maintenance of peace and order and none of them ever tries any criminal case. The District Magistrate does not have any administrative control over the other Magistrates who try criminal cases in the district. This separation of judiciary from the executive has been brought about in the district in the year 1953.

The District and Sessions Judge is assisted by two Additional Sessions Judges. They have jurisdiction over the entire district. They attend to original civil jurisdiction in respect of suits of which the subject-matter does not exceed Rs. 15,000 in amount or value. They have also civil and criminal and appellate jurisdiction and original criminal jurisdiction in respect of cases triable by Court of Sessions.

There are also two Civil Judges (Senior Division) who attend to all original suits and proceedings of a civil nature.

There are twelve Civil Judges (Junior Division) and First Class Judicial Magistrates with head-quarters at different taluka places. They deal with civil suits of value of subject-matter below Rs. 10,000. They also try criminal cases triable by a First Class Magistrate. [District Census Handbook, Ahmadnagar, 1961.]

The work disposed of in civil and criminal courts in the district of Ahmadnagar in 1961, 1965 and 1971 is shown below: -

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