As in other contemporary Muslim states in the Deccan and in northern India, sultan was the fountain head of justice and the highest court of appeal. There are frequent references to the royal court of justice over which the king presided. He was advised by the ulema and brahmans.
Next to the sultan was the chief justice or the chief qazi. Vazirs and amirs were the other officers of the judiciary who administered justice in the areas under their jurisdiction. They would nominate their deputies who performed this function in consultation with the majlis.
The decision of the majlis had the legal authority. Before bringing the cases before the Tnajlis, the government officers at the centre as well as in the districts tried to settle the disputes between the parties concerned and the gota. The government officers’ judicial duties included registration of suits, supervision of the proceeding of the gotasabha and execution of the orders of the majlis.
The government officers of a pargana were the diwan, the qazi, havaldar and the majalasi or sabhasad. Other officers were deshmukh and deshpande, besides watandars and mirasdars. The jurisdiction of the pargana majlis were confined to civil cases only.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The thanedar of a tarf or karyat acted as the primary judicial authority which was confined to civil suits only. Sometimes the pargana and the thana majlis were called at the fort in the division to try cases.
It is thus apparent that the administrative, judicial and revenue structure at the village, taluka and district level continued as before and was left mostly to the local people. The traditional institutions such as the “Village panchyat, the got sabhas, the mahazars, the hereditary watandars, patil, kulkarni, deshmukh and deshpande reduced to a great extent any effective interference from the courts of these kingdoms.”