- The lower courts are the courts that operate beneath the high courts. The lower court consists of the district and subordinate courts. A ‘District and Sessions Judge’ presides over the judicial districts that make up each state.
- When a judge rules over a civil case, they are referred to as “district judges,” and when they preside over criminal cases, they are known as “session judges.”
- When a district judge is in charge of a district court in a city that the state government has recognized as a metropolitan region, they are sometimes referred to as “Metropolitan Sessions Judges.”
- Depending on the volume of cases before them, district judges may collaborate with additional district judges.
- The highest-ranking judge below a high court judge is a district judge. In addition, the District Court supervises all lower-level courts and has appellate authority.
- On the civil side, the Junior Civil Judge Court, Principal Junior Civil Judge Court, and Senior Civil Judge Courts (also known as sub-courts) are the subordinate courts beneath the District Court, listed in ascending order.
- On the criminal side, the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, First Class Judicial Magistrate Court, and Second Class Judicial Magistrates Court are the subordinate courts, listed in ascending order.
Judiciary: Structure, Hierarchy and Legal Offices