Question 1

Question 12When a judge decides Civil cases, he/she is called ................ and when he/she decides criminal cases, he/she is called ................ .Sessions Judge; District JudgeDistrict Judge; Sessions JudgeMagistrate; District JudgeMagistrate; Sessions Judge

Accepted Answer

District Judge; Sessions Judge

Question 2

Question 13Identify the statements about the Court of the District Judge which are correct.P : It is the highest civil court of the district.Q : The District Judge is appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India.R : The District Judge decides both civil and criminal cases.S : The District Judge acts as a Deputy Commissioner and District Collector.P and QP and RP and SR and S

Accepted Answer

P and R

Question 3

Question 14First class Magistrate can award imprisonment upto ................ years and/or a fine of ₹ .................4 years ; ₹ 20,0003 years ; ₹ 10,0003 years ; ₹ 5,0002 years ; ₹ 5,000

Accepted Answer

3 years ; ₹ 5,000

Question 4

Question 15Second class Magistrate can award imprisonment for not more than ............... years or impose a fine of ₹ ................... or both.1 year ; ₹ 1,0002 years; ₹ 5,0001 year; ₹ 2,0002 years; ₹ 1,000

Accepted Answer

2 years; ₹ 1,000

Question 5

Question 16Lok Adalat means ................ .District CourtPeople's CourtHigh CourtSupreme Court

Accepted Answer

People's Court

Question 6

Question 17Suppose the autorickshaw driver, who daily takes you to school, was issued a number of traffic violation challans and had to pay a fine of five thousand rupees. He pleaded for reducing the fine but was not shown any mercy. To which court he would go to get speedy redressal of his grievance?Lok AdalatSessions CourtHigh CourtSupreme Court

Accepted Answer

Lok Adalat

Question 7

Question 18Read the excerpt given below and answer the question that follow:From the 29th of July to the 3rd of August 2024, the Supreme Court is organising a special Lok Adalat. This is part of a series of activities which the Supreme Court is observing, to commemorate the 75th year since the establishment of the Supreme Court. Most significantly, we are all as judges, as people, dedicated to the institution of justice concerned about the large backlog of cases.— The Chief Justice of India, video message announcing the Special Lok AdalatWhich of the following is true about the Lok Adalat?(i) Saves money(ii) Reduces burden on other courts(iii) Works on compromise(iv) Speedy justiceAll of them(i) and (ii)(i), (ii) and (iii)(ii) and (iv)

Accepted Answer

All of them

Question 8

Question 19Court A aims to provide a simplified and efficient mechanism for dispute resolution. It is designed to address a range of issues such as civil, petty criminal, family, property, labour, bank loan, revenue, forest, motor accident claims, and challan or e-challan cases. Identify Court A.High CourtSessions CourtLok AdalatAll of the above

Accepted Answer

Lok Adalat

Question 9

Question 1Study the picture and answer the following questions:(a) Identify the court whose logo is given in the picture on the right. How do these courts function?(b) What are the advantages of resolution of disputes through such courts?(c)	Do you think that these courts play an important role as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism? Give your reasons.

Accepted Answer

(a) The given picture shows the logo of Lok Adalats.Lok Adalat means 'People's Court'.It is an alternative dispute redressal mechanism where disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled amicably.There is no court fee payable when a matter is filed in a Lok Adalat.The Legal Services Authorities Act, (1987) provides that State or district authorities shall organise Lok Adalats from time to time.All decisions of the Lok Adalats shall be deemed to be decrees of a Civil Court and shall be binding on the parties to the dispute.Main condition of the Lok Adalat is that both parties in a dispute should agree for a settlement.Voluntary organisations organise such courts in places like factories, farms, commercial complexes and neighbourhood of the litigants to settle disputes in a spirit of harmony and compromise.Cases are settled informally and cordially with the involvement of conflicting parties.Lok Adalats also resolve cases which have not yet gone to any court.(b) The advantages of resolution of disputes through Lok Adalats are-Lok Adalats play important role in the settlement of family feuds, disputes between the neighbours and minor cases of assault and injury by settling the disputes through compromise. Since the Lok Adalats work in the spirit of compromise and understanding, both the parties feel satisfied.Lok Adalats deliver fast and inexpensive justice. Any person can move Lok Adalat by an application on a plain paper or using the format available with Legal Service Authorities and expect speedy justice.The Lok Adalats reduce the workload of other courts enabling them to deal with more serious matters. This reduces delays in higher courts.Lok Adalats promote social justice by providing legal aid to weaker sections of society.(c) The system of Lok Adalats has now become so popular that various government departments like the Telephone Department, Traffic and the Electricity Boards have begun to hold Lok Adalats solving hundreds of cases in a single day.It is the need of the hour that Lok Adalats are organised more frequently and their jurisdiction is expanded.There are lakhs of cases pending in different courts all over India.These courts can play important role in the settlement of family feuds, disputes between the neighbours and minor cases of assault and injury.Weaker sections of society cannot afford the delay or the costs involved in court procedures.The institution of Lok Adalat tends to promote social justice as in Delhi where permanent Lok Adalats have already been set up for settlement of all pending disputes concerning Delhi Development Authority, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam, Municipal Corporation and National Insurance Co. Ltd.All these points firmly indicate the importance of Lok Adalats as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

Question 10

Question 5Who decides the salaries and allowances of the Judges of the High Court?

Accepted Answer

The Chief Justice of a High Court and other Judges of the High Court are paid a monthly salary, as decided by the Parliament.

Question 11

Question 6How does the High Court protect the Fundamental Rights of individuals? What is meant by Revisory Jurisdiction of the High Courts?

Accepted Answer

The High Court enjoys original jurisdiction for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution. All the High Courts are empowered to issue 'writs'. The writs that are issued are Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Quo Warranto and Certiorari. These writs are greatly instrumental in the protection of Fundamental Rights of the citizens.Revisory Jurisdiction means that the High Court can call for the record of a case which has been decided by a subordinate court. This is done because the High Court feels that the Subordinate Court has exercised a jurisdiction not vested in it or the latter has not followed proper procedure.Therefore, the High Court can review the case and take appropriate action on it. This is known as the Revisory Jurisdiction of the High Court.

Question 12

Question 7Read the excerpt given below and answer the question that follows:Over 1.14 Crore Cases Settled in Lok Adalats— The Deccan Herald September, 2024With reference to the above news, state which advantage of the court is being highlighted?

Accepted Answer

The advantage of the court being highlighted in the excerpt is "Speedy and cost-effective justice."Lok Adalats help in reducing the backlog of cases by providing a quick resolution through compromise and mutual settlement, ensuring that disputes are settled efficiently without the need for prolonged litigation.

Question 13

Question 8Mention two types of Subordinate Courts in a State.

Accepted Answer

Two types of Subordinate Courts in a State are-The Court of the District JudgeCourt of Civil Judge

Question 14

Question 9What is meant by the term Civil Cases? Which type of cases are known as Criminal Cases?

Accepted Answer

Civil cases are related to land, property and money transactions, arbitration, guardianship, marriages, divorce and cases involving a Will.Criminal cases are related to murder, robbery, theft, assault, etc.

Question 15

Question 10Which is the highest Civil Court in a District? Name the highest Criminal Court in a district.

Accepted Answer

District Judge or the Additional District Judge's Court is the highest Civil Court in a district.Sessions Judge's or Additional Sessions Judge's Court is the highest Criminal Court in a district.

Question 16

Question 11Who is the highest Judicial Official at the district level for civil and criminal cases? How are the District Judges in a State appointed?

Accepted Answer

The District Judge is the highest Judicial Official at the district level for civil and criminal cases.The District Judge and the Additional District Judge are appointed by the Governor in consultation with the Judges of High Court of the concerned State.

Question 17

Question 2With reference to the powers of the High Court, briefly describe the following:(a) What is meant by the Original Jurisdiction of the High Court? Mention two types of cases in which the High Court exercises Original Jurisdiction.(b) Mention two types of cases in which the High Court exercises Appellate Jurisdiction.(c) How does the High Court control the power of the Legislature and the Executive?

Accepted Answer

(a) High Courts have original jurisdiction, that is, the power to hear and decide cases at the first instance. It has original jurisdiction in the following cases:Matters relating to State revenue and its collection.Cases regarding wills, divorce, marriage, company law and contempt of court may be referred or brought before the High Court directly.(b) Two types of cases in which the High Court exercises Appellate Jurisdiction are-Civil cases — Appeals can be brought to the High Court:in matters concerning land revenue, andin cases where a blatant injustice has been committed by any Tribunal. In such cases, the High Court may quash the order of the Tribunals.Criminal cases — In criminal cases appellate jurisdiction consists of appeals:Against the judgement of a Sessions Judge or an Additional Sessions Judge, where the sentence of imprisonment exceeds seven years.Against the judgements of an Assistant Sessions Judge, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate or other Judicial Magistrates, where the sentence of imprisonment exceeds four years.(c) The High Courts control the power of the Legislature and the Executive by the power of Judicial Review.If any law, executive order or any ordinance passed by the State Legislature or any other authority infringes the Fundamental Rights or contravenes any provision of the Constitution, the High Court can declare it 'null and void'.The High Court has the power of considering the Constitutional validity of any State law or executive order or ordinance.

Question 18

Question 3With reference to the powers of the High Court, answer the following questions:(a) How does the High Court act as a custodian of the Constitution?(b) How does the High Court act as a protector of Fundamental Rights?(c) What do we mean when we say that the High Court is a 'Court of Record'?

Accepted Answer

(a) Every High Court has the power to interpret the Constitution. This power is known as the power of Judicial Review.If any law, executive order or any ordinance passed by the State Legislature or any other authority infringes the Fundamental Rights or contravenes any provision of the Constitution, the High Court can declare it 'null and void'.The High Court has the power of considering the Constitutional validity of any State law or executive order or ordinance.(b) All the High Courts enjoy original jurisdiction for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution.The High Courts can also issue writs for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights.The writs that are issued are Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Quo Warranto and Certiorari.These writs are greatly instrumental in the protection of Fundamental Rights of the citizens.(c) The High Court is a 'Court of Record' like the Supreme Court. It means:All the judgements and orders are preserved as a record to be referred to by its courts in future cases. They can be produced as precedents.The law laid down by the High Court is binding on all subordinate courts in the State concerned. But it does not bind the other High Courts, although it is of great significance and can be produced in support of an argument.The High Court can punish anyone who commits a contempt of its orders.

Question 19

Question 4With reference to the jurisdiction of High Courts, write short notes on:(a) Revisory Jurisdiction of High Courts.(b) Its power to issue Writs.(c) Its power of Judicial Review.

Accepted Answer

(a) Revisory Jurisdiction means that the High Court can call for the record of a case which has been decided by a subordinate court.This is done because the High Court feels that the Subordinate Court has exercised a jurisdiction not vested in it or the latter has not followed proper procedure.Therefore, the High Court can review the case and take appropriate action on it. This is known as the Revisory Jurisdiction of the High Court.A revisory jurisdiction is applicable in the following cases:(a) injustice or an error of law apparent on the face of the record.(b) violation of the principles of natural justice.(c) arbitrary authority leading to wrong judgements.(d) flagrant error in procedure.(b) All the High Courts are empowered to issue 'writs'.A writ is an order from a judicial authority asking a person to perform some act or refrain from performing an act.The writs that are issued are Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Quo Warranto and Certiorari.These writs are greatly instrumental in the protection of Fundamental Rights of the citizens.(c) The High Court has the power of Judicial Review.If any law, executive order or any ordinance passed by the State Legislature or any other authority infringes the Fundamental Rights or contravenes any provision of the Constitution, the High Court can declare it 'null and void'.The High Court may withdraw a constitutional case from a Subordinate Court and deal with it or send it back with its directions.The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, introduced provisions, where the power of the High Court to judge the constitutionality of a State law was withdrawn during the Emergency.But with the repeal of certain parts of the 42nd Amendment, the High Courts regained their powers of considering the Constitutional validity of any State law or executive order or ordinance.

The High Courts and Subordinate Courts

Multiple Choice Questions

Picture Study

Short Answer Questions

Structured Questions