10. Local limits of jurisdiction of District Courts or Subordinate Judge.—The Local
Government shall fix, and may from time to time vary, the local limits of the jurisdiction of any
District Judge or Subordinate Judge under this Act:
Local limits of jurisdiction of each of several Subordinate Judges.—Provided that, where more
than one Subordinate Judge is appointed to any district, the District Judge may assign to each such
Subordinate Judge the local limits of his particular jurisdiction within such district.
The present local limits of the jurisdiction of every Civil Court (other than the High Court) shall be
deemed to have been fixed under this Act.
11. Local Jurisdiction of District Munsifs.—The High Court shall fix, and may from time to
time modify, the local jurisdiction of District Munsifs.
2
[If the High Court assigns the same local jurisdiction to two or more District Munsifs, it shall
declare which of them shall be deemed the Principal District Munsif, and the other, or others, shall be
called Additional District Munsifs, and shall take cognizance only of such suits and applications as
may, by special or general order in this behalf, be directed by the District Judge.]
12. Jurisdiction of District Judge or subordinate Judge in original suits.—The jurisdiction of
a District Judge or a Subordinate Judge extends, subject to the rules contained in the Code of Civil
Procedure, to all original suits and proceedings of a civil nature.
1. Added by Act 21 of 1885, s. 2.
2. Added by s. 3, ibid.
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Jurisdiction of District Munsif.—The jurisdiction of a District Munsif extends to all like suits
and proceedings, not otherwise exempted from his cognizance, of which the amount or value of the
subject-matter does not exceed two thousand five hundred rupees.
13. Appeals from decrees of District Courts.—Regular or special appeals, 1*** shall, when
such appeals are allowed by law, lie from the decrees and orders of a District Court to the High Court.
Appellate jurisdiction of District Court.—Appeals from the decrees and orders of Subordinate
Judges and District Mirnsifs shall, when such appeals are allowed by law, lie to the District Court,
except when the amount or value of the subject-matter of the suit exceeds rupees five thousand, in
which case the appeal shall lie to the High Court:
Appellate jurisdiction of Subordinate Judge.—Provided that, whenever a Subordinate Judge’s
Court is established in any District at a place remote from the station of the District Court, the High
Court may, with the previous sanction of the Local Government, direct that appeals from the decrees
or orders of District Munsifs within the local limits of the jurisdiction of such Subordinate Judge be
preferred in the Court of the latter:
Disposal of appeal by District Judge.—Provided also, that the District Judge may remove
to his own Court, from time to time, appeals so preferred, and dispose of them himself, or may,
subject to the orders of the High Court, refer any appeals from the decrees and orders of
District Munsifs, preferred in the District Court, to any Subordinate Judge within the District.
14. Valuation of suits for immovable property.—When the subject-matter of any suit or proceeding is land, a house or a garden, its value shall, for the purposes of the jurisdiction conferred
by this Act, be fixed in manner provided by the Court Fees’ Act, 1870, section seven clause v.
15. Power to require witness or party to make oath or affirmation. —Every Court under this
Act may require a witness or party to any suit or other proceeding pending in such Court to make such
oath or affirmation as is prescribed by the law for the time being in force.
16. Law administered by Courts to Natives.—Where, in any suit or proceeding, it is necessary
for any Court under this Act to decide any question regarding succession, inheritance, marriage or
caste, or any religious usage or institution,
(a.) the Muhammadan law in cases where the parties are Muhammadans,
and the Hindu law in cases where the parties are Hindus, or
(b.) any custom (if such there be) having the force of law and governing the parties or property
concerned,
shall form the rule of decision, unless such law or custom has, by legislative enactment, been
altered or abolished.
(c.) In cases where no specific rule exists, the Court shall act according to justice, equity and
good conscience.
17. Judges not to try suits in which they are interested;—No District Judge, Subordinate Judge
or District Munsif, shall try any suit to or in which he is a party or personally interested, or shall
adjudicate upon any proceeding connected with, or arising out of, such suit.
nor to try appeals form decrees passed by them in other capacities.—No District Judge or
Subordinate Judge, shall try any appeal against a decree or order passed by himself in another
capacity.
Mode of disposing of such suits and appeals.—When any such suit, proceeding or appeal comes
before any such officer, he shall report the circumstances to the Court to which he is immediately
subordinate.
1. The words and figures “or appeals under Madras Regulation XI of 1832, section nine,” rep. by Act 12 of 1891, the First
Schedule.
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The superior Court shall thereupon dispose of the case in the manner prescribed by the Code of
Civil Procedure, section six.
Nothing in the last preceding clause of this section shall be deemed to affect the extraordinary
original civil jurisdiction of the High Court.