Subordination of Courts & Constitution of Civil Court

Section 3. Subordination of Courts:

"For the purposes of this Code, the District Court is subordinate to the High Court Division, and every Civil Court of a grade inferior to that of a District Court and every Court of Small Causes is subordinate to the High Court Division and District Court."

Constitution of Civil Court:

A Civil Court is an institution of the Bangladesh Government which settles disputes between two or more entities typically in the same Court house that also tries criminal cases. Sometimes, the same action can be tried both in civil and criminal, i.e. assault. Typically the function of a civil Court is to determine liability of one party for the damage suffered by another. Constitution of Bangladesh provides that there shall be a Supreme Court for Bangladesh. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh shall comprise the appellate division and the High Court Division. Then it also provides that, there shall be in addition to the Supreme Court such Courts subordinate there to as may be established by law." So all other Courts shall be subordinate to the Supreme Court. Therefore all civil Courts and small cause Court are subordinate to the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court:

The supreme Court of Bangladesh shall consist of two divisions, as follows:

1. Appellate Division

2. High Court Division

However, There shall be following classes of Civil Courts, established under section 3 of the Civil Courts Act, 1887 namely:-

a) The Court of District judge.

b) The Court of Additional district judge.

c) The Court of Joint District Judge.

d) The Court of Senior Assistant Judge.

e) The Court of Assistant Judge.

For the purposes of the code of Civil procedure, 1908, the District Court is subordinate to the High Court Division and every civil Court of a grade inferior to that of a District Court and every Court of Small causes is made subordinate to the High Court Division and District Court."

There are also number of special Courts and tribunals established under various other special laws.

a) The Court of Assistants Judge

Each district has one or more Assistant Judge's Court. It has a fixed pecuniary jurisdiction. This Court may try any suit, the value of which does not exceed taka 15 lac. Appeal lies against the judgment of this Court to the Court of District Judge. It has revisional Jurisdiction in certain petty civil matters which are decided by the Court of Village. This Court stands under the Senior Assistant Judge's Court. It is an established rule that every suit of every value firstly has to be instituted in the lowest grade Court of its jurisdiction.

b) The Court of Senior Assistant Judges:

The pecuniary jurisdiction of the Court of Senior Assistant Judge is also fixed. This Court may try any civil suit, the value of which does not exceed taka 25 lac. Appeal lies against the judgment of this Court to the Court of District Judge. This Court is subordinate to the Joint Judge's Court.

c) The Court of Joint District judge:

The Court of joint District Judge is subordinate to the District Judge's Court. The pecuniary jurisdiction of this Court is not fixed. So this Court has unlimited pecuniary jurisdiction. It may try any suit, the value of which is exceeding taka 25 lac to unlimited. An appeal lies against the judgment of this Court to the District Judge and the High Court Division on the basis of the valuation of the subject matter of the suit, such as:

(i) When the value of the original suit does not exceed taka 5 crore, the appeal shall lie to the Court of District Judges, and

(ii) When the value of the original suit exceeds taka 5 crore, the appeal shall lie to the High Court Division.

d) The Court of Additional District Judge:

The Additional District Judge is empowered to discharge any of the functions of a District Judge, if the District Judge assigns him. So an Additional District Judge may exercise the power as the District Judge, if the power is conferred upon him. When the business pending before any District Judge requires the aid of Additional District Judges for its speedy disposal, the Government may, having consulted the High Court Division, appoint such Additional District Judges as may be requisite." Additional District Judges so appointed shall discharge any of the functions of District Judge which the District Judge may assign to them, and, in the discharge of those functions, they shall exercise the same powers as the District Judge."

Generally an appeal from a decree or order of an Additional District Judge shall lie to the High Court Division." But an appeal shall not lie to the High Court Division from a decree or order of an Additional District Judge in any case in which, if the decree or order had been made by the District Judge, an appeal would not lie to that Court."

e) The Court of District Judge:

District Judge designates the 'Judge of the Principal Civil Court' of the District. "District Judge" shall designate the Judge of a principal Civil Court of original jurisdiction, but shall not include the High Court Division in the exercise of its ordinary or extraordinary original civil jurisdiction. The Court of District Judge is the immediate subordinate to the High Court Division. It includes the Additional District Judge's Court. It shall entertain and dispose of matters within its local limit relating to probate of a will or a succession certificate or guardianship of a lunatic or guardianship of a Minor. But usually it does not try its original suit. District Judge may assign Additional District Judge to exercise function or appeal which is transferred to him. Subject to the supervision of the High Court Division, the District Judge shall have administrative power over all the Civil Courts under this Act within the local limits of his jurisdiction. A district Judge has appellate and revisional power when the value of the suit does not exceed taka 5 crore, the appeal or revision shall lie to the District Judge's Court. When the value of the suit exceeds taka 5 crore, the appeal or revision shall lie to the High Court Division. An appeal from a decree or order of a District Judge shall lie to the High Court Division. Apart from above Civil Courts there are more Civil Court under special civil law-

1. Family Court

2. Labour Court

3. Labour Appellate Tribunal

4. Administrative Tribunal

6. Administrative Appellate Tribunal

7. Insolvency Court

8. Artha Rin Adalat

9. Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal

10. Taxes appellate Tribunal

11. Election Tribunal

12. Rent Court

13. Environment Court

14. Land Survey Tribunal

15. Land Survey Appellate Tribunal

16. Village Court

17. Court of Certificate Officer

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