Report On The Administration Of The Punjab And Its Dependencies For 1867-68

· 1867 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

128. PUNJAB ADMINISTRATION REPORT. [ 1867-88.

2No. XXXITIT dated 14th December, scale of expenses of complainants

3and witnesses in Criminal trials before Courts subordinate to the Ohief

4Court.

590. ApMINIsTRatron or Crvit Justrcu.—The statistics of Civil Justice

6will be found in Appendices If. B—6, 7, 8, 9,10 and 12, which are drawn

7up in the form prescribed by the Statistical Committee.

891. Mumber of suits.—There has been at length a decrease in the

9amount of litigation in this province, which for the previous few years

10had been increasing at the rate of abont 10,000 suits per annum. The

11number fell from 165.970 in 1866 to 144,628 during the year under

12report, but the number is still greater than the aggregate number of Civil

13suits in Bengal, Oude and the Central Provinces put together, and more

14than twice the number in the North-West Provinces.

15The decrease is general, and is most marked in the case of suits, for

16land, or the rent, revenue and produce of land, which decreased by 22 per

17cent, while other suits decreased in the ratio of 10 per cent.

1892, Cuuse of decrease.—The general causes cited for this decrease are—

19(1.) The increased rate of stamp duty leviable from petitions of

20plaint under the new Stamp Act.

21(2) The absence of a large portion of the community at the Hurd-

22war fair.

23(3.) The sickliness of the last months of the year.

24(4.) Growing caution on the part of bankers and traders to take

25written obligations for paymeut of inoney.

26It would be natural, at first sielitl, to uttribute the decrease princip-

27ally, if not solely, to the enhanced stamp duties; bnt on examination of

28the returns it appears that in some districts the decrease is referable to

29periods antecedent to the introduction of the new Stamp Act, and in some

30again the nninber of suits instituted after the introduction of the new

31Stamp Act increased instead of diminished.

3293. Value and nature of suits.—The average value of suits was Rs. 56,

33and the bulk of litigation was for sums of Rs. 20 and under, and only

3419,013 suits out of 1,50,683 were for sums exceeding Rs. 100. As

35usual, parole debts, debts on written obligations and account were the

36staple of litigation. The total amount under litigation was Rs. 83,84,621.

3794. Disposal of suits.—Of the total number of suits for disposal,

38amounting to 1,50.683, 96 per cent were decided during the year, at an

39average duration of 18 days, “as short a period,” remark the Judges of

40the Ms ief Court, “as is desirable or consistent with complete investiga-

41tion.

4295. By what Couris.—Of the cases disposed of, 52 per cent svere *dis-

43osed of by Tahsildars (Native officials in charge of sub-divisions )* or

44aib Tabsildars (Assistants to above), 23 per cent by English anf

45Native Assistant Commissioners or Extra Assistant Conimniasioners, -3Oipde

46cent by Small Cause Court Judges (vested with powers of final decisis )