Concerned Committee will look into issue on administrative side of court, says Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that a concerned committee will look into the issue on the administrative side of this court while hearing the petition seeking direction from its Registrar General and Delhi Government to rationally distribute and enhance pecuniary jurisdiction of Civil Judges posted at District courts.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that a concerned committee will look into the issue on the administrative side of this court while hearing the petition seeking direction from its Registrar General and Delhi Government to rationally distribute and enhance pecuniary jurisdiction of Civil Judges posted at District courts. The Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh said, "the issue is reasonable and the jurisdiction of civil judges of Delhi Court is nominal and it should be increased. But we would look into the same on the administrative side. Committee of this court would look into it."

The court directed the respondents to consider and decide the petition and grievance ventilated in the petition as expeditiously as possible and practicable as per law. The petitioner urged the Court to decide the petition in a time-bound manner, the Court however said, it's good that you have raised this issue, the committee of Delhi High Court would look into the same and an appropriate decision would be taken in this regard.

The petitioner Amit Sahni, practising lawyer and social activist stated that the pecuniary jurisdiction of District Courts at the level of Civil Judges needs to be amended or increased so that the stagnation faced by the Civil Judges and burden of cases upon District Judges, Additional District Judges can be reduced simultaneously. The plea further stated that the pecuniary jurisdiction of Civil Judges in District Courts of Delhi is up to 3 lakhs only and there has been no change in the same since 2003. The further pecuniary jurisdiction of ADJ, District Judges have increased from 20 lakhs (in 2003) to two crores (in 2015).

Advocate Sahni's petition further stated that the pecuniary jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court and other District Courts were altered or increased from time to time to suit the dynamics of the contemporary legal scenario. "The pecuniary jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court has risen from above Rs 25,000 to above Rs 2,00,00,000 within the year of 1969 to 2015 and pecuniary jurisdiction of District Judge level was increased from up to Rs 20 lakhs to up to Rs 2 crore within the year of 2003 to 2018 (through Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Ordinance), 2018). The pecuniary jurisdiction of Civil Judge level has not been amended and it is still up to Rs 3 lakhs," the plea stated.

The distribution of pecuniary jurisdiction of Civil Judges was proportionately done on earlier occasions at the time of amendments but from 2003 onwards there is no increase in pecuniary jurisdiction of Civil Judges posted at Delhi District Courts, plea added. The Petitioner has made respondents in the matter to Delhi High Court through its Registrar General along with Bar Council of Delhi, Delhi Government and different Bar association of district courts.

The pecuniary value of Rs 3 lacs entrusted to Civil Judges of Delhi District Courts is on the extremely lower side and no property in Delhi is worth "3 Lacs" only and the same has led to stern stagnation as Civil Judges of Delhi District Courts are adjudicating injunction suits and petty suit for recovery amounting up to 3 lakhs only. The District Courts in the neighbourhood of Delhi, that is, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad enjoy unlimited pecuniary jurisdiction. District Courts in Delhi need to be equated with District courts in adjourning areas of Delhi so far as pecuniary jurisdiction is concerned, the plea stated. (ANI)

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