16. Classes of subordinate civil courts.—In addition to the Court of the Judicial Commissioner and
the courts of small causes established under the Provincial Small Cause Courts Act, 1887 (IX of 1887),
and the courts established under any other law for the time being in force, there shall be the following
classes of civil courts in the 1
[Union territory of Manipur], namely:—
(i) the district court;
(ii) the court of a subordinate judge;
(iii) the court of a munsiff:
Provided that the court of a subordinate judge shall be established only with effect from such date as
the Chief Commissioner may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify.
17. Civil districts and district judges.—(1) For the purposes of this Chapter, the Chief Commissioner
may, by notification in the Official Gazette, divide the 1
[Union territory of Manipur] into civil districts and
sub-divisions, alter the limits or the number of these districts and sub-divisions and determine the
headquarters of each district and sub-division.
(2) The Chief Commissioner shall, after consultation with the Judicial Commissioner, appoint as many
persons as he thinks necessary to be district judges and shall post one of these persons to each district as
district judge of that district:
Provided that the same person may, if the Chief Commissioner thinks fit, be appointed to be district
judge of two or more districts.
18. Additional district judges.—(1) When the business pending before the court of a district judge
requires the aid of an additional district judge for its speedy disposal, the Chief Commissioner may, after
consultation with the Judicial Commissioner, appoint such number of additional district judges as may be
necessary.
(2) The additional district judges so appointed shall discharge any of the functions of a 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.
1. Subs. by A.O. (No. 3), 1956 for “State of Manipur” (w.e.f. 1-3-1956).
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19. Subordinate judges and munsiffs.—(1) The Chief Commissioner may, after consultation with the
Judicial Commissioner, fix the number of subordinate judges and munsiffs to be appointed and if there is a
vacancy in that number, may, subject to the rules, if any, made under sub-section (2), appoint such person
as is nominated by the Judicial Commissioner to the vacancy.
(2) The Chief Commissioner may, after consultation with the Judicial Commissioner, make rules as to
the qualifications of persons to be appointed as subordinate judges and munsiffs.
20. District court to be principal civil court of original jurisdiction.—The district court shall be
the principal civil court of original jurisdiction in the district.
21. Original jurisdiction of district courts.—Save as otherwise provided by any other law for the
time being in force, the district court, shall, subject to the provisions of section 15 of the Code of Civil
Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), have original jurisdiction in all civil suits without limit as regards the value.
22. Original jurisdiction of courts of subordinate judges and munsiffs.—The jurisdiction in
original civil suits as regards the value to be exercised by a subordinate judge or a munsiff shall be
determined by the Chief Commissioner in such manner as he thinks fit, after consultation with the Judicial
Commissioner:
Provided that in no case shall the jurisdiction of a munsiffbe without limit.
23. Local limits of the jurisdiction of courts of subordinate judges and munsiffs.—(1) The local
limits of the jurisdiction of the court of a subordinate judge or a munsiff shall be such as the Chief
Commissioner may, by notification in the Official Gazette, define.
(2) When the Chief Commissioner posts a subordinate judge to a district, the local limits of the district
shall, in the absence of any direction to the contrary, be the local limits of his jurisdiction.
24. Small causes jurisdiction of subordinate judges and munsiffs.—The Judicial Commissioner
may, by notification in the Official Gazette, confer within such local limits as he thinks fit, upon any
district judge, subordinate judge or munsiff, the jurisdiction of a judge of the court of small causes under
the Provincial Small Cause Courts Act, 1887 (9 of 1887), for the trial of suits of the nature cognizable by
such courts upto such value not exceeding five hundred rupees, as he thinks fit and may withdraw any
jurisdiction so conferred.
25. Exercise by subordinate judges and munsiffs of jurisdiction of district courts in certain
proceedings.—(1) The Judicial Commissioner may, by general or special order, authorize any subordinate
judge or munsiff to take cognizance of, or any district judge to transfer to a subordinate judge or a munsiff
under his administrative control, any proceeding or class of proceedings specified in such order, under—
(a) the Indian Succession Act, 1925 (39 1925); or
(b) the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 (8 of 1890); or
(c) the Provincial Insolvency Act, 1920 (5 of 1920).
(2) The district judge may withdraw any such proceeding taken cognizance of by, or transferred to, a
subordinate judge or a munsiff and may either himself dispose of them or transfer it for disposal to any
other competent court under his administrative control.
(3) Proceedings taken cognizance of by, or transferred to, a subordinate judge or a munsiff under this
section shall be disposed of by him subject to the rules applicable to like proceedings when disposed of by
the district judge:
Provided that an appeal from an order of the munsiff in any such proceedings shall lie to the district
judge.
(4) An appeal from the order of the district judge on appeal from the order of a munsiff under this
section shall lie to the Court of the Judicial Commissioner if a further appeal from the order of the district
judge is allowed by the law for the time being in force.
26. Place of sittings of courts.—(1) The Chief Commissioner may, by order, fix a place or places at
which any court constituted under this Chapter is to be held.
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(2) The place or places so fixed may be beyond the local limits of the jurisdiction of the court.
(3) Save as otherwise provided by an order under this section, a court constituted under this Act may
be held at any place within the local limits of its jurisdiction.
27. Administrative control of courts.—Subject to the general superintendence and control of the
Court of the Judicial Commissioner, the district judge shall have administrative control over all the civil
courts under this Chapter within the local limits of his jurisdiction.
28. District Judge's power to distribute business.—Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code
of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), the district judge may, by written order, direct that any business
cognizable by his court and the courts under his control shall be distributed among such courts, and in such
manner, as he thinks fit:
Provided that no direction issued under this section shall empower any court to exercise any power and
deal with any business beyond the limits of its jurisdiction.
29. Seals of courts.—Every court under this Chapter shall use a seal of such form and dimension as
are prescribed by the Chief Commissioner.
30. Ministerial officers of the courts.—(1) Ministerial officers of the district court shall be appointed
by the district judge.
(2) Ministerial officers of civil courts under the administrative control of the district judge shall be
appointed by the district judge.
(3) Every appointment under this section shall be subject to such rules as the Judicial Commissioner
may make in this behalf.
(4) Any order passed by the district judge under this section shall be liable to be reversed or modified
by the Judicial Commissioner.
31. Delegation of powers of district judges and district courts in certain cases.—The district judge
may, with the previous sanction of the Judicial Commissioner, delegate to the judge of any court under his
administrative control all or any of the powers conferred on a district judge by section 27 and section 28 of
this Act and on a district court by section 24 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), to be
exercised by the judge in any specified portion of the district subject to the control of the district judge.
32. Appeals from original decrees.—Save as otherwise provided by any law for the time being in
force, appeals from decrees or orders of courts exercising original jurisdiction shall lie as follows:—
(a) from a decree or order of a munsiff in any suit and of a subordinate judge in a suit the value of
which does not exceed five thousand rupees, to the court of the district judge; and
(b) in all other cases, to the court of the Judicial Commissioner.
33. Appeals from appellate decrees.—A second appeal shall lie to the court of the Judicial
Commissioner from an appellate decree or order of a district court on any ground on which a second
appeal lies under section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908).
34.Revisional powers of the Court of the Judicial Commissioner.—In addition to the powers
conferred by section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), the Court of the Judicial
Commissioner may, on application made to it, call for the record of any case which has been decided by a
civil court subordinate to it and in which no appeal lies to it and if the Court of the Judicial Commissioner
is of opinion that there is an important question of law or custom and the question requires further
consideration, the Court of the Judicial Commissioner may make such order in the case as it thinks fit:
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Provided that—
(i) no application shall be admitted after the expiration of ninety days from the date of the decision
in respect of which the application is made unless the applicant satisfies the Court of the Judicial
Commissioner that he had sufficient cause for not making application within that period;
(ii) on any such application the Court of the Judicial Commissioner shall not revise the decision of
the court below except in so far as such decision involves a question of law or custom in respect of
which the application has been admitted; and
(iii) when any such application has been admitted the Court of the Judicial Commissioner shall,
subject to clause (ii) of this proviso, treat the matter of the application as if it were an appeal.
Explanation 1.—The question of procedure is not a question of law or custom within the meaning
of this section.
Explanation 2.—In computing the period of limitation mentioned in clause (i) of this proviso and
in all other respects not herein specified, the period of limitation of the application shall be governed
by the provisions of the Indian Limitation Act, 1908 (5 of 1908).
35. Court fees payable on applications for revision.—(1) The court fees payable on applications to
the Court of the Judicial Commissioner for the exercise of its jurisdiction under section 34 shall be such as
are prescribed by the Chief Commissioner in consultation with the Judicial Commissioner.
(2) If the Court of the Judicial Commissioner, on an application in respect of which the court fee
payable under sub-section (1) has been paid, sets aside or modifies a decree or order of the court below or
remands the case for further decision, the Court of the Judicial Commissioner may grant to the applicant a
certificate authorising him to receive back from the Collector of the district in which the court below is
situated or from such other officer as the Chief Commissioner may authorise by notification in the Official
Gazette, the full amount of such court fee or such part thereof as the Court of the Judicial Commissioner
having regard to the circumstances of the case may think fit.
36. Temporary vacancy in the office of district judge.—In the event of death of a district judge or of
his being prevented from performing his duties by illness or other cause or of his absence from the civil
district on leave, the additional district judge, if any, in the district or where there is no additional district
judge, the senior-most subordinate judge, or as the case may be, the senior-most munsiff in the district
shall assume charge of the district court without interruption of his ordinary jurisdiction and being so in
charge shall perform the duties of the district judge with respect to the filing of suits and appeals, receiving
pleadings, execution of processes, return of writs and the like, and shall be designated as the additional
district judge or the subordinate judge or the munsiff, as the case may be, in charge of the district and shall
continue in such charge until the office of the district judge has been resumed by him or assumed by an
officer duly appointed thereto.
37. Delegation of powers of district judges.—Any district judge leaving headquarters and proceeding
on duty to any place in the district may delegate to the additional district judge, if any, or where there is no
such additional district judge, to a subordinate judge or, as the case may be, to a munsiff at the
headquarters, the power of performing such duties enumerated in section 36 as may be emergent and such
officer shall be designated as the additional district judge or the subordinate judge or the munsiff, as the
case may be, in charge of the headquarter.
38. Temporary vacancy in the office of a subordinate judge or munsiff.—In the event of death,
suspension or temporary absence of a subordinate-judge or a munsiff, the district judge may empower any
other subordinate judge or munsiff of the same civil district to continue the duties of the vacated court of
the subordinate judge or munsiff either at the place of such court or of his own court but in every such case
the register and record of the court shall be kept distinct.