Rajasthan Judiciary

The Judiciary of Rajasthan consists of the High Court with its head quarters at Jodhpur and its bench in Jaipur, the Subordinate Judicial Service or the District Courts and Lok Adalats. In fact Rajasthan and Haryana are the only states that have permanent Lok Adalats.

Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court came into existence on June 21, 1949 under the Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949 and the first High Court of the state was inaugurated by His Highness Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Ji of Jaipur at Jodhpur on 29th August, 1949.Currently Rajasthan High Court has principal seat in Jodhpur with a bench in Jaipur. The strength of the High Court presently is about 32 judges. The Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court is Honorable Mr. Justice S.N. Jha.

Subordinate or District Courts

There is a pecking order of district level courts or subordinate courts under the High Court of Rajasthan. The District Courts or the Subordinate Court judges are generally termed as Subordinate Judicial Service. The state is divided into 33 judicial districts which are presided over by sessions or district judges who exercise the highest judicial authority in a district and can even try all kind of offences including those punishable by death. Thus the lower judiciary of Rajasthan consists of-

• 33 courts of District & Sessions Judges
• 108 Courts of Additional District & Sessions Judges
• 697 Judicial officers working as Civil Judges (Senior Division)as well as Chief Judicial Magistrates, Additional Civil Judges as well as Additional Chief Judicial Magistrates and Civil Judges (Junior Division) as well as Judicial Magistrates.

Lok Adalats- ‘Lok Adalat’ – the term means people’s court. This court has the authority to conduct trials and is presided over by a retired or a sitting judge. The Lol Adalat aims at prompt settlement of disputes relating to various public utility services such as hospital, post, transport,telegraph, water, power and so on. The order issued by the Adalats is unquestionable.

Over the years Rajasthan has excelled in the disposal of cases with the help of Lok Adalats.

Eminent Jurists from Rajasthan

• Justice Jawan Singh Ranawat (Formulator of the Ranawat Finance Commission)
• Nagendra Singh( President of the International Court of Justice, the Hague, Netherlands)
• Justice Chand Mal Lodha
• Justice Daulat Mal Bhandari
• Justice Milap Chand Jain
• Justice Kan Singh Parihar
• Justice Narendra Mohan Kasliwal
• Guman Mal Lodha
• L. M. Singhvi
• Rajesh Balia
• Sampat Singh Bhandawat

Last Updated on : 01 December 2011