Judiciary is one of the�three wings of the Government. It administers justice
through the Court system. But how can common people get justice if they do not know where to file their case? That is why we have a hierarchy of courts to guide people file their suit in the right court. It is essential to file a case in the correct court. Only then the case will be processed further. The court hierarchy in India begins with�the�Supreme Court, followed by the High Courts, District Courts, and other judicial bodies. Supreme Court of India In India, the court of the highest order is the Supreme Court. It is located in New Delhi and comprises of the Chief Justice and thirty other judges. It has very wide powers in the form of�original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction. Citizens may directly file their case in the Supreme Court for violation of their fundamental rights. This forms part of the Original jurisdiction of the Supreme Courts. As part of the appellate jurisdiction, the Supreme Court entertains appeals from the High Courts and other courts and Tribunals. The cases entertained are both civil and criminal. The President of India may also refer certain problems to the Supreme Court seeking advice from it. This forms the advisory jurisdiction. Moreover, the law declared by the Supreme Court is binding on all the Courts situated within India. High Courts Followed by the Supreme Court, each Indian State has its own High Court. The High Courts are usually located in the capital of the State. But some states like West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,�Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and others have benches of High Courts. If a State has a High Court bench, it means there is a branch of that High Court at one or more places. For example, in the State of Tamil Nadu, the�Madras High Court�is situated in Chennai and a bench of the Madras High Court is situated in Madurai. It is not called the Madurai High Court, but Madras High Court � Madurai Bench. Similarly, all Union Territories have only benches of High Court of the nearby state. For example, the Bombay High Court has a bench at Panaji for the Union Territory of Goa. The only exception is the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi has its own High Court. The High Courts are the principal civil courts with original jurisdiction in the State and the respective Union Territory. However, a High Court exercises this power only when the subordinate courts do not have the authority to try the cases due to lack of pecuniary jurisdiction (based on the value of the suit) and territorial jurisdiction. The High Courts of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras have original civil jurisdiction because of their history as Presidency Towns before Independence. The High Courts have appellate jurisdiction with respect to civil and criminal cases from the Subordinate Courts. One common misconception about the hierarchy of courts is the Tribunal. Tribunals are not Courts. They are administrative in nature. Tribunals run parallel to the court system but they are not part of it. They do not form above or below the High Courts in the hierarchical structure. District Courts The District Courts administer justice at a district level. These courts are under the administrative and judicial control of the High Court of the State to which the district concerned belongs. Each District Court is presided by a District Judge. There are many subordinate courts within the District Court Complex. This structure varies for Metropolitan cities and other cities. Additionally, there are separate Labour Courts and Family Courts in each district. There are Special Courts for specific purposes also. E.g., Special Courts under Essential Commodities and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (EC & NDPS Act). Village Courts They are also called Lok Adalats or Nyaya Panchayats. Their aim is to solve petty disputes in an informal manner in the rural areas. Hierarchy of Courts in India- A Flowchart The following flowchart will help readers understand the hierarchy of courts in India.