Every judgment whether it is a civil judgment or a criminal judgment contains a heading. The first line of the heading relates to the actual nomenclature of the Court deciding the issue.

For ‘example, a sub- court is also an Assistant Sessions Court.

In the judgment relating to Sub-Court, Amalapuram, the first line would read “In the Sub-Ordinate Judge’s Court, Amalapuram” when the litigation is a civil case. A criminal matter before the same court contains “In the Court of the Assistant Sessions Judge, Amalapuram”.

After the heading the name of the presiding officer (with the educational qualifications) who delivered the judgment is stated together with the designation of the officer.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Below the name of the officer the date of the judgment (usually in words) in Gregarian Calendar is given. Prior to the Civil Rules of Practice, 1983, the date of the judgment used to be given in Gregarian Calendar as well as in the Indian Calendar [Saka Era], but now the dates are mentioned only in terms of Gregarian Calendar.

After the date of the judgment, the case number is mentioned in the judgment as Original Suit Number, Small Cause case number, Appeal Suit Number, Second Appeal Number, Civil Miscellaneous Appeal number, Interlocutary Application number, Calendar Case Number, Sessions Case Number, Criminal Appeal Number, Criminal Revision Case number, Criminal Miscellaneous Petition Number, Original Petition Number, (motor vehicles original petition number, land acquisition original petition number) and the like.

After the number of the case, the judgment contains the short cause title, that is to say the names of all the parties (as shown in the Plaint or the Charge Sheet).

The judgment there may not contain the father’s name and the descriptive particulars of the parties unless two or three parties bear the same name including the surname.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

This is the preliminary part of the judgment. After the preliminary part is completed, the usual practice is to state the date on which the arguments were advanced by the parties and more particularly the last date on which the arguments were heard, together with the names of the advocates on record for each of the parties.

Upto this extent, it is not the judge who dictates. It is purely a ministerial function and the stenographer attached to the court types these details, before he types the judgment proper dictated by the judge.