Chapter II ESTABLISHMENT AND CONSTITUTION OF CIVIL COURTS

There shall be three classes of Civil Courts subordinate to the High Court, namely, (1) the District Court; (2) the Court of a Senior Civil Judge; and (3) the Court of a Civil Judge.

(1) There shall be a District Court for each district: Provided that the State Government may, in consultation with the High Court, establish a District Court, for more than one district. (2) Each District Court shall be presided over by a District Judge.

(1) The State Government may, on the recommendation of the High Court, appoint one or more Additional District Judges to a District Court for such period as it may deem necessary. (2) The Additional District Judge so appointed shall, subject to the general or special orders of the High Court, discharge all or any of the functions of the District Judge under this Act, or any other law for the time being in force, which the District Judge may assign to him, and in the discharge of those functions, he shall exercise the same powers as the District Judge.

(1) There shall be a Court of a Senior Civil Judge for each district: Provided that the State Government may, in consultation with the High Court, establish such a Court for part of a district, or for more than one district, as the case may be. (2) Each Court of a Senior Civil Judge shall be presided over by a Senior Civil Judge.

(1) There shall be in each district such number of Court of a Civil Judge as may be fixed by the State Government, in consultation with the High Court. (2) Each Court of a Civil Judge shall be presided over by a Civil Judge.

The State Government, may, in consultation with, the High Court fix and from time to time vary, by notification, the number of Senior Civil Judge to be appointed for the Court of a Senior Civil Judge and the number of Civil Judge to be appointed for a Court of a Civil Judge.

(1) When more than one Senior Civil Judge is appointed to the Court of a Senior Civil Judge, or more than one Civil Judge is appointed to a Court of a Civil Judge, one of the Senior Civil Judge or one of the Civil Judge, shall be appointed as the Principal Senior Civil Judge or the Principal Civil Judge and the others Additional Senior Civil Judges or Additional Civil Judge, as the case may be. (2) Each of the Judges appointed to the Court of a Senior Civil Judge or a Court of a Civil Judge may exercise all or any of the powers conferred on such Court by this Act or any other law for the time being in force. (3) Subject to the general or special orders of the District Judge, the Principal Senior Civil Judge or the Principal Civil Judge may, from time to time, make such arrangements as he thinks fit, for the distribution of the business of the Court among the various Senior Civil Judges or Civil Judges thereof.

(1) The place or places at which every Civil Court under this Act shall be held shall be fixed and may from time to time be altered, by the State Government in consultation with the High Court. (2) The places at which the said Courts are being held immediately prior to the appointed day, shall, until an order is made under sub-section (1), be deemed to be the places fixed under sub-section (1). (3) The places fixed for any Court under this section shall be deemed to be within the local limits of the jurisdiction of that Court.

Every Civil Court under this Act, shall use a seal which shall bear thereon the Karnataka State Emblem and shall be in such form, of such dimensions and with the name of the Court in such language, as the State Government may, by order, determine: Provided that the seals in use in every such Civil Court immediately prior to the appointed day may continue to be used until an order is made by the State Government under this section.

(1) The District Courts existing immediately prior to the appointed day shall be deemed to be District Courts established under this Act, until they are reconstituted in accordance with this Act. (2) The following Courts existing in the State immediately prior to the appointed day, namely:— (a) the Courts of Civil Judges (Senior Division) in the Belgaum Area; (b) the Courts of Civil Judges in the Mysore Area, and (c) the Courts of Subordinate Judges, shall be deemed to be Courts of Civil Judges established under this Act. (3) The following Courts existing immediately prior to the appointed day, namely:— (a) the Courts of Civil Judges (Junior Division) in the Belgaum Area, (b) the Courts of Munsiffs in the Mysore Area, the Gulbarga Area and the Coorg District, and (c) the Courts of District Munsiffs in the Mangalore and Kollegal Area, shall be deemed to be Munsiff's Court established under this Act.