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Let district courts hear civil cases involving disputes up to Rs 20 crore: Bar Association to Meghwal

The body has urged for an “enhancement of pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts of Delhi from Rs 2 crore to Rs 20 crore" in relation to hearing civil suits.

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The district courts in Delhi should be allowed to hear civil suits involving disputes up to Rs 20 crore, the coordination committee of the District Court Bar Association urged Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in a letter on Friday.

The body has urged for an “enhancement of pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts of Delhi from Rs 2 crore to Rs 20 crore” in relation to hearing civil suits. Currently, the jurisdiction of civil suits involving disputes of more than Rs 2 crore is vested with the Delhi High Court.

“…Delhi has got only 11 district courts located in six complexes having civil jurisdiction, and the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi has only very few courts (Presently 4) vested with original civil jurisdiction. It is further noteworthy that the Honourable High Court of Delhi has very limited capacity,” read the letter to Meghwal.

“With every passing day,” the letter further pointed out, “the inflation and other contributory factors result in an increase in the valuation of every transaction, which finally gives rise to an increasing number of cases going to the High Court of Delhi, and the cases in district courts keep decreasing”. “On the other hand, the capacity of district courts keep increasing from time to time whereas the capacity High Court of Delhi is almost stagnant for many decades,” it read.

“…We, the coordination committee of All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi take the privilege to draw your kind attention about the urgency for enhancement of pecuniary limits of all District Courts in Delhi from existing Rs 2 crore, which is very minuscule considering the cost of living or volume of business in Delhi to Rs 20 crore at least,” the letter urged, adding the rate of disposal in Delhi’s district courts was higher than the disposal in the High Court.

Earlier, this monetary limit for district courts was Rs 20 lakh and was enhanced to Rs 2 crore in October 2015 after the Delhi High Court Act, 1966, was amended by the Parliament.

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.  2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More

 

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