¹[3. There shall be following classes of Civil Courts, namely:-

(a) the Court of the District Judge;

(b) the Court of the Additional District Judge;

(c) the Court of the Joint District Judge;

(d) the Court of the Senior ²[Civil] Judge; and

(e) the Court of the ³[Civil] Judge.]

⁴[4. The Government may alter the number of District Judges, Additional District Judges, Joint District Judges, Senior ⁵[Civil] Judges and ⁶[Civil] Judges now fixed.]

5. [Repealed by the Decentralization Act, 1914 (Act No. IV of 1914).]

6. (1) Whenever the office of District Judge or ⁷[Joint District] Judge is vacant by reason of the death, resignation or removal of the Judge or other cause, or whenever an increase in the number of District or ⁸[Joint District] Judges has been made under the provisions of section 4, the Government or, as the casemay be, the High Court Division may fill up the vacancy or appoint the Additional District Judges or ⁹[Joint District] Judges.(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a Government from appointing a District Judge or ¹⁰[Joint District] Judge to discharge, for such period as it thinks fit, in addition to the functions devolving on him as such District Judge or ¹¹[Joint District] Judge, all or any of the functions of another District Judge or ¹²[Joint District] Judge, as the case may be.

7. [Omitted by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order, 1937.]

8.(1) When the business pending before any District Judge requires the aid of ¹³[Additional District] Judges for its speedy disposal, the Government may, having consulted the High Court Division, appoint such ¹⁴[Additional District] Judges as may be requisite.(2) ¹⁵[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.

9. Subject to the superintendence of the High Court Division, the District Judge shall have administrative control over all the Civil Courts under this Act within the local limits of his jurisdiction.

10. (1) In the event of the death, resignation or removal of the District Judge, or of his being incapacitated by illness or otherwise for the performance of his duties, or of his absence from the place at which his Court is held, the ¹⁶[Additional District] Judges, or, if an ¹⁷[Additional District] Judge is not present at that place, the senior ¹⁸[Joint District] Judge present thereat, shall, without relinquishing his ordinary duties, assume charge of the office of the District Judge, and shall continue in charge thereof until the office is resumed by the District Judge or assumed by an officer appointed thereto. (2) While in charge of the office of the District Judge, the ¹⁹[Additional District] Judge or ²⁰[Joint District] Judge, as the case may be, may, subject to any rules which the High Court Division may make in this behalf, exercise any of the powers of the District Judge.

11. (1) In the event of the death, resignation or removal of a ²¹[Joint District] Judge, or of his being incapacitated by illness or otherwise for the performance of his duties, or of his absence from the place at which his Court is held, the District Judge may transfer all or any of the proceedings pending in the Court of the ²²[Joint District] Judge either to his own Court or to any Court under his administrative control competent to dispose of them. (2) Proceedings transferred under sub-section (1) shall be disposed of as if they had been instituted in the Court to which they are so transferred: (3) Provided that the District Judge may re-transfer to the Court of the ²³[Joint District] Judge or his successor any proceedings transferred under sub-section (1) to his own or any other Court. (4) For the purposes of proceedings which are not pending in the Court of the ²⁴[Joint District] Judge on the occurrence of an event referred to in sub-section (1), and with respect to which that Court has exclusive jurisdiction, the District Judge may exercise all or any of the jurisdiction of that Court.

12. [Omitted by the Government of India (Adaptation of Indian Laws) Order, 1937.]

13. (1) The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, fix and alter the local limits of the jurisdiction of any Civil Court under this Act.

(2) If the same local jurisdiction is assigned to two or more ²⁵[Joint District] Judges or to two or more ²⁶[Senior ²⁷[Civil] Judges or ²⁸[Civil] Judges], the District Judge may assign to each of them such civil business cognizable by the ²⁹[Joint District] Judge or ³⁰[Senior ³¹[Civil] Judge or ³²[Civil] Judge], as the case may be, as, subject to any general or special orders of the High Court Division, he thinks fit.

(3) When civil business arising in any local area is assigned by the District Judge under sub-section (2) to one of two or more ³³[Joint District] Judges or to one of two or more ³⁴[Senior ³⁵[Civil] Judges or ³⁶[Civil] Judges], a decree or order passed by the ³⁷[Joint District] Judge or ³⁸[Senior ³⁹[Civil] Judge or ⁴⁰[Civil] Judge] shall not be invalid by reason only of the case in which it was made having arisen wholly or in part in a place beyond the local area if that place is within the local limits fixed by the Government under sub-section (I).

(4) A Judge of a Court of Small Causes appointed to be also a ⁴¹[Joint District Judge or Senior ⁴²[Civil] Judge or ⁴³[Civil] Judge is a Joint District Judge or Senior ⁴⁴[Civil] Judge or ⁴⁵[Civil] Judge], as the case may be, within the meaning of this section.

(5) The present local limits of the jurisdiction of every Civil Court under this Act shall be deemed to have been fixed under this section.

14. (1) The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, fix and alter the place or places at which any Civil Court under this Act is to be held. (2) All places at which any such Courts are now held shall be deemed to have been fixed under this section.

15. (1) Subject to such orders as may be made by the Government the High Court Division shall prepare a list of days to be observed in each year as closed holidays in the Civil Courts. (2) The list shall be published in the official Gazette. (3) A judicial act done by a Civil Court on a day specified in the list shall not be invalid by reason only of its having been done on that day.

16. Every Civil Court under this Act shall use a seal of such form and dimensions as are prescribed by the Government.

17. (1) Where any Civil Court under this Act has from any cause ceased to have jurisdiction with respect to any case, any proceedings in relation to that case which, if that Court had not ceased to have jurisdiction, might have been had therein may be had in the Court to which the business of the former Court has been transferred. (2) Nothing in this section applies to cases for which provision is made in sections 36, 37 and 114 of, and rule 1 of Order XLVII in Schedule I to the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, or in any other enactment for the time being in force.