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Q40 (IAS/2016) Polity & Governance › Judiciary › Subordinate judiciary structure Official Key

With reference to the 'Gram Nyayalaya Act', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. As per the Act, Gram Nyayalayas can hear only civil cases and not criminal cases. 2. The Act allows local social activists as mediators/reconciliators. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B (2 only).

Gram Nyayalayas are deemed to be a Court of Judicial Magistrate of First Class with both civil and criminal jurisdiction[2], which makes statement 1 incorrect. The Act does not restrict them to hearing only civil cases.

Regarding statement 2, the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 does allow for local social activists to act as mediators or reconciliators in dispute resolution. This provision is part of the Act's framework to make justice accessible at the grassroots level and utilize community resources for amicable settlements. The Act was enacted to provide access to justice to citizens at their doorsteps and ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen due to social, economic or other disabilities[3], which aligns with the use of local mediators.

Therefore, only statement 2 is correct, making option B the right answer.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1809619
  2. [3] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 38: Lok Adalats and Other Courts > GRAM NYAYALAYAS > p. 379
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to the 'Gram Nyayalaya Act', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. As per the Act, Gram Nyayalayas can hea…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 3.3/10 · 3.3/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This is a classic 'Definition vs. Feature' question. Statement 1 is a direct test of your standard text (Laxmikanth) knowledge regarding the 'Judicial Magistrate' status. Statement 2 is a 'Spirit of the Law' question—if the aim is doorstep justice, local mediators are a logical inclusion. Trust the standard book for the hard limit (jurisdiction) and the Act's objective for the soft feature (activists).

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Under the Gram Nyayalayas Act (2008), are Gram Nyayalayas empowered to hear civil cases?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Gram Nyayalayas are deemed to be a Court of Judicial Magistrate of First Class with both civil and criminal jurisdiction to settle petty disputes at the village level."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states Gram Nyayalayas have both civil and criminal jurisdiction.
  • Says they are deemed a Court of Judicial Magistrate of First Class to settle petty disputes at village level — implying authority to hear civil cases.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 38: Lok Adalats and Other Courts > Features > p. 380
Strength: 5/5
“The salient features of the Gram NyayaIayas Act are as follows6 : • 1. The Gram Nyaya laya shall be a Judicial Magistrate of the first class and its PreSiding Dfficer (Nyayadhikari) shall be appointed by the State Government in consultation with the High Court.• 2. The Gram Nyaya laya shall be established for every Panchayat at intermediate level or a group of contiguous Panchayats at intermediate level in a district where there is no Panchayat at intermediate level in any state, for a group of contiguous Panchayats.• 3 • 5. The seat of the Gram Nyayalaya will be located at the headquarters of the intermediate Panchayat, they will go to villages, work there and dispose of the cases.• 6.”
Why relevant

States that the Gram Nyayalaya 'shall be a Judicial Magistrate of the first class' and names the presiding officer (Nyayadhikari).

How to extend

A student can combine this with the basic fact that Judicial Magistrates primarily exercise criminal jurisdiction to infer Gram Nyayalayas likely have criminal powers (thus not limited to civil-only).

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 38: Lok Adalats and Other Courts > Features > p. 380
Strength: 4/5
“The salient features of the Gra m NyayaIayas Act are as follows6 : • 1. The Gram Nyaya laya shall be a Judicial Magistrate of the first class and its PreSiding Dfficer (Nyayadhikari) shall be appointed by the State Government in consultation with the High Court. • 2. The Gram Nyaya laya shall be established for every Panchayat at intermediate level or a group of contiguous Panchayats at intermediate level in a district where there is no Panchayat at intermediate level in any State, for a group of contiguous Panchayats. • 5. The seat of the Gram Nyayalaya will be located at the headquarters of the intermediate Panchayat, they will go to villages, work there and dispose of the cases.• 6.”
Why relevant

Repeats the feature that Gram Nyayalayas are constituted as a Judicial Magistrate of the first class and located at intermediate panchayat level to dispose of cases locally.

How to extend

Using the common legal-role pattern that magistrates handle criminal trials/summaries, a student could suspect Gram Nyayalayas include criminal jurisdiction and therefore are not restricted to civil cases.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 35: Subordinate Courts > STRUCTURE AND JURISDICTION > p. 364
Strength: 4/5
“Some of the States and Presidency towns have established small causes courts. These courts decide the civil cases of small value in a summary manner. Their decisions are final, but the High Court possesses the power of revision. In some states, Panchayat Courts try petty civil and criminal cases. They are variously known as Nyaya Panchayat, Gram Kutchery, Ada lati Panchayat, Panchayat Adalat and so on. |• Article No.: 233.; SubJect·matter: Appointment of district judges • Article No.: ; SubJect·matter: Appointment of, and judgments etc. delivered by certain district judges • Article No.: 234.; SubJect·matter: Recruitment of persons other than district judges to the judicial service • Article No.: ; SubJect·matter: District courts • Article No.: 236.; SubJect·matter: Interpretation • Article No.: 237.”
Why relevant

Notes that various local/panchayat courts historically try 'petty civil and criminal cases', giving an example pattern of grassroots forums handling both kinds of matters.

How to extend

A student could generalize that institutions set up at village/panchayat level (like Gram Nyayalayas) may be intended to handle both civil and criminal disputes, so the 'civil-only' claim is questionable.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > 2016 TEST PAPER > p. 750
Strength: 3/5
“The Chief Secretary in a State has a fixed tenure. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? • Ca) 1 only (b) 2 only Ce) Both 1 and 2 cd) Neither 1 nor 2 3. With reference to the 'Gram Nyayalaya Act', which of the following statements is/ are correct? 1. As per the Act, Gram Nyayalayas can hear only civil cases and not criminal cases. 2. The Act allows local social activists as medi a torsi recon cilia to rs. Select the correct answer using the code given below. • Ca) 1 only (b) 2 only • Ce) Both 1 and 2 Cd) Neither 1 nor 2 4.”
Why relevant

Contains a multiple‑choice test item that presents as a proposition the claim 'As per the Act, Gram Nyayalayas can hear only civil cases and not criminal cases', implying this is a noted statement to be evaluated (and possibly a common misconception).

How to extend

A student could take this as a prompt to verify the Act's jurisdictional provisions (or to recall that the statement appears contestable), rather than accept the 'civil-only' assertion at face value.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 38: Lok Adalats and Other Courts > GRAM NYAYALAYAS > p. 379
Strength: 3/5
“t GRAM NYAYALAYAS The Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 has been enacted to provide for the establishment of the Gram Nyayalayas at the grass roots level for the purposes of providing access to justice to the citizens at their doorsteps and to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen due to social, economic or other disabilities.”
Why relevant

Describes the Act's purpose to provide access to justice at the grassroots, a broad objective which typically encompasses both civil and criminal access to justice.

How to extend

A student might reason that an access-to-justice measure aiming to ensure justice 'is not denied' would likely empower local fora to decide a range of disputes (civil and criminal) rather than only civil matters.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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