CONSTITUTION OF CIVIL COURTSState · West Bengal

Section 3 of The Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts Act, 1887

There shall be the following classes of Civil Courts under this Act, namely:

(1)the Court of the District Judge;
(2)the Court of the Additional Judge;
(3)the Court of the Subordinate Judge; and
(4)the Court of the Munsif. STATE AMENDMENT Bihar Amendment in Section-3 of the Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts Act, 1887 (Act 12 of 1887).-- In Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts Act 1887 (Act, 12 of 1887) (herein after referred to as the said Act) in Clause-(3) of Section-3 for the words "Subordinate Judge" words and bracket "Civil Judge (Senior Division)" and in Clause (4) for the words "Munsif" the words and bracket "Civil Judge (Junior Division)" shall be substituted" [Vide Bihar Act 14 of 2014, s. 2]

Summary

This section establishes four different ranks or "classes" of civil courts.
The highest class mentioned is the Court of the District Judge.
The second class is the Court of the Additional Judge.
The third class is the Court of the Subordinate Judge.
The fourth and lowest class listed is the Court of the Munsif.

Practical examples

1Ramesh has a small dispute over a 500 rupee loan and files his case in the Court of the Munsif, which is the class of court designed for smaller matters.

2For a very large and complex property dispute, the case is handled by the Court of the District Judge, which is the highest class of court listed in this section.

FAQ

1. How many types of civil courts are created by this Act?

There are four classes of courts.

2. Is a Munsif higher than a Subordinate Judge?

No, the classes are listed in descending order of rank, with the District Judge at the top and the Munsif at the bottom.

3. What is the role of an Additional Judge?

It is one of the four classes of courts established to help manage the workload of civil cases.

Test yourself

Q1.Which of the following is NOT a class of Civil Court established under Section 3 of the Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts Act, 1887?

Q2.Under Section 3 of the Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts Act, 1887, which court class is listed directly after the District Judge?

Q3.In the hierarchy defined by Section 3 of the Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts Act, 1887, which court is listed as the fourth class?

Q4.According to Section 3 of the Bengal, Agra and Assam Civil Courts Act, 1887, how many distinct classes of Civil Courts are there?

2PreviousSection 2 Repeal.4NextSection 4 Number of District Judges, Subordinate Judges and Munsifs.

←Section 2 Section 4→