District Administration and Revenue

• India consists of 28 states and eight union territories, including Delhi.
• These are divided into smaller units called districts, tehsils and parganas.
• There is no fixed size or population for a district.
• The country has over 700 districts.

Structure of District Administration

• The official in charge of a district is the District Collector, Deputy Commissioner, or District Magistrate.
• The official is a member of the Indian Administrative Services(IAS).
• Hundreds of officials work under them.
• A district is the unit of administration for departments like police, co-operative societies, agriculture, and education.
• Other important officials are the Deputy Collector, Tehsildar, Planning Officer, Superintendent of Police, Chief Medical Officer, District and Sessions Judge and Additional Judges.

Functions of District Administration

• Maintaining law and order
• Land records maintenance and revenue collection
• Providing civic amenities
• Supervising Panchayat activities
• Providing relief work

Maintaining Law and Order

• Maintaining law and order is the most important responsibility of the District Collector.
• The District Collector can pass orders to check lawlessness and rioting.
• The Superintendent of Police assists in maintaining law and order.
• The Superintendent of Police is the highest-ranking police officer in the district and works under the District Collector.
• The Superintendent of Police ensures peace in the district.
• Deputy Superintendent of Police, Inspectors, and Sub Inspectors work under the Superintendent of Police to maintain law and order.
• A district is divided into five or six sub-divisions, each under a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
• Sub-divisions are further divided into police circles with around ten police stations or thanas in them.
• An Inspector is in charge of a police circle.
• Sub-Inspectors, Assistant Sub-Inspectors, Head Constables, and Constables work in each police station.
• Chaukidars are appointed at the village level.
• Every district has a jail, with a Jailer as the official in charge.
• Men and women are kept in separate prisons.
• Prisoners are taught skills like carpentry and carpet weaving to earn a living after serving their sentence.
• Police protect citizens and secure their rights.
• Citizens can assist the police by informing them about law-breakers and by refusing to assist or encourage illegal activities.

Land Records and Revenue Collection

• Land records determine rightful land ownership.
• Land records are required for farmers to secure bank loans.
• Collection of revenue is important for the government to run its departments.
• Sub-divisional officer, Tehsildar, Naib Tehsildar or Deputy Tehsildar, Kanungo, and Lekhpal (Patwari) officials oversee revenue collection.
• The Sub-divisional officer is in charge of revenue collection at the sub-division level, acts as a link between the District Collector and the Tehsildar.
• The Tehsildar is the main official in the district responsible for revenue collection.
• To maintain land records, there is a Superintendent (Land Records) and a Deputy Superintendent (Land Records) at the district level.
• The Kanungo, and the Lekhpal or Patwari take care of land records at the village level.

Civic Amenities and Development

• The district administration provides civic amenities, such as health care, education, government buildings, and roads.
• It also reviews the overall development of the district.
• The Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) is in charge of district health services and supervises hospitals and dispensaries
• The District Inspector of Schools or the District Education Officer is responsible for schools in the district.
• He/she inspects schools and supervises the work of the education department.
• The Public Works Department is in charge of constructing and maintaining government buildings.
• The Executive Engineer is the head of the Public Works Department.

Supervising the Functioning of the Panchayati Raj System

• The District Collector is responsible for supervising the functioning of the Panchayati Raj system and other local bodies.
• The District Collector makes arrangements for elections to these bodies conducted by the State Election Commission.
• The collector reports on the functioning of the system to the state government.
• The District Collector has the power to dissolve non-functioning bodies with the instruction of the state government.

Providing Relief Work

• The district administration provides relief during emergencies such as famines, floods, fires, epidemics, and earthquakes.
• Citizens should cooperate with the district administration and assist them during such situations.

Judicial Administration

• Each district has a judicial setup for the administration of justice.
• Disputes can arise between citizens or between the government and the citizens.
• Criminal activities must also be punished.
• Disputes are settled in civil courts and criminal courts.
• Civil courts deal with civil cases.
• Criminal courts deal with criminal cases.
• Civil courts decide cases concerning property and financial disputes.
• Criminal courts hear cases of theft, assault, murder, and other criminal acts.

Officers and their work within the Courts

• The District Judge and the Additional District Judge oversee the highest court for civil cases in the district.
• The court of the Sessions Judge is the highest court in the district for criminal cases.
• Serious criminal cases, such as murder and dacoity, are tried by the Sessions Judge's court or the Additional Sessions Judge's court.
• Lower courts to the Sessions court are headed by an Assistant Sessions Judge, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Metropolitan Magistrate, Magistrate of First Class, Magistrate of Second Class, and Special Judicial Magistrate and Executive Magistrate.
• The Sessions Judge can award a death sentence.
• The Chief Judicial Magistrate can award a maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment.
• A Magistrate of First Class can award a maximum sentence of up to three years' imprisonment or impose a fine, or both.
• A Magistrate of Second Class can award a maximum sentence of up to two years' imprisonment or impose a fine, or both.
• The amount of fine depends on the nature of the crime and the powers of the judge.
• A party not happy with the verdict of a lower court can appeal the decision to the higher courts.
• The High Court is the highest judicial authority in the states, and the district courts function under the High Court.

Explore the roles and responsibilities within district administration, focusing on revenue collection, land records, and judicial functions. Understand the hierarchy of officials and their roles in emergency management and the Panchayati Raj system. Learn about the judicial processes and options for challenging court decisions.