The Qutb Shahi sultan, like his counterparts in other Deccan kingdoms, was the pivot of the administration and enjoyed absolute executive, judicial and military powers. He had an advisory council, called majlis-i-kingash in the time of Ibrahim Qutb Shah.
Later on in the time of Abdullah Qutb Shah, it became a regular body and came to be known as majlis- i-diwandari or Privy Council.
The members of this body were nominated by the king from amongst his senior nobles in whom he had full confidence. The sultan presided over this meeting. It should, however, be clearly understood that this was neither a permanent neither body nor the sultan was bound to consult it.
Peshwa was the highest official though during the time of the early Qutb Shahi kings, mir jumla enjoyed a premier position. The Peshwa as the prime minister was over-all-in- charge of administration. He governed the state in the name of the king. He was assisted by a large number of ministers.
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We have very little information about the portfolios or nomenclature of the various ministers. But they were all addressed as zi-shaukat which literally means ‘His Exalted Highness’. Jagirs were best owed on all the ministers who were required to furnish troops whenever required by the sultan.
The central secretariat consisted of two secretaries. Dabir-ul-mamlik was the chief secretary while dabir was the term used for the post of the secretary. He was incharge of the office called “diwan-i-insha”. He looked after the royal correspondence. There is also reference to the post of majumdar or accountant-general.
There were a number of offices in the Imperial capital which enjoyed a unique position. There was the kotwal who looked after law and order and even sometimes he handled judicial cases. Of concise, there was a qazi to decide civil cases among Muslims. Hindu cases were decided according to their own law. Sarkhel, was the chief revenue officer whose jurisdiction also extended to the provinces.