BENGALURU URBAN COURTS

ABOUT DISTRICT COURT

History of City Civil Court

The City Civil Court, Bengaluru was established on 17.11.1980. It was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Y. V. Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India at that time, in the presence of Hon’ble Mr. Justice D. M. Chandrashekar, the Chief Justice of Karnataka, Hon’ble Mr. Justice M. N. Venkatachalaiah and Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka Sri R. Gundurao.

Earlier, Courts in Bengaluru City were like Courts in any other District of Karnataka, consisting of Munsiff Courts, Civil Judge’s Courts and District Courts. Since Bengaluru City was growing enormously and litigation and the filing of the cases was also growing in Geometric progression, creation of Addl. Courts to the existing Courts was not serving any purpose. In the three-tire hierarchy of Courts preferring of Appeals to various Appellate Courts was also more. Considering the fact that if the Judicial Officers of higher rank deal with cases of original jurisdiction, Judgments delivered by them may be of higher quality and the litigants may get satisfaction at the first instance itself and the number of appeals to be preferred may be less, the Hon’ble High Court considered to establish City Civil Courts at Bengaluru on the lines of City Civil Courts then existing at Bombay and Ahmadabad. Judicial Officers were deputed to study the existing system of City Civil Courts functioning at various cities. After analyzing merits and demerits of those systems, the Hon’ble High Court recommended to the Government for establishment of Bengaluru City Civil Court.

The Government of Karnataka enacted Bengaluru City Civil Court Act, 1979 and the same was published in the Karnataka Gazette Extraordinary on the seventeenth day of April, 1980. As per the Notification of the Government bearing No. LAW 263 LCE 80 dated 05.11.1980, the City Civil Court was established on 17.11.1980. Sri P. A. Kulkarni was appointed as the first Prl. City Civil and Sessions Judge and later Sri P. A. Kulkarni was elevated as Judge of the Karnataka High Court.

On the date of establishment of City Civil Court, Bengaluru , the pendency of all categories of cases was 31,772. One Prl. City Civil and Sessions Judge, who is of the rank of Senior District and Sessions Judge and 18 Addl. City Civil and Sessions Judges who are of the rank of District and Sessions Judges, were appointed as on 17.11.1980. The total staff strength at that time was 391.

Due to increase in pendency of cases as well as institution of cases, Addl. City Civil and Sessions Courts have been created from time to time and there is some increase in the staff strength also. As on today, total 95 City Civil and Sessions Courts (including the Court of Prl. City Civil and Sessions Judge) are functioning.

History of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Courts

On 07.04.1970 Honorable Justice Sri. M. Sadashivaiah, the then Chief Justice of Mysore High Court and the then Law Minister of the Mysore Government laid the foundation stone for the construction of main building of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Nrupatunga Road in Bangalore City. On 09.03.1977 Hon’ble Justice Sri. K. Bhimaiah and Hon’ble Justice Sri. C. Honnaiah, the then Hon’ble Judges of High Court of Karnataka inaugurated the main building of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Nrupatunga Road, Bengaluru.

The foundation stone laying ceremony of the Annexe building on the northern side of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court Complex was held on 06.10.2005 in the august presence of Hon'ble Justice Sri. K. Ramanna and Hon'ble Justice S. R. Nayak, the then Judges of Karnataka High Court. On 29.10.2007 the then Hon'ble Chief Justice Sri. Cyriac[...]