Interpretation of Terms in Subordinate Courts Chapter
Official heading: “Interpretation.”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part VI, Article 236, printed page 110
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1. In One Sentence
Article 236 provides the constitutional definitions of "district judge" and "judicial service" for the purposes of Chapter VI.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 236 supplies the definitive legal glossary for Chapter VI of Part VI, ensuring uniform interpretation across India's subordinate courts.
Definition of "District Judge": Sub-clause (a) defines "district judge" broadly to include: judge of a city civil court, additional district judge, joint district judge, assistant district judge, chief judge of a small cause court, chief presidency magistrate, additional chief presidency magistrate, sessions judge, additional sessions judge, and assistant sessions judge.
Definition of "Judicial Service": Sub-clause (b) defines "judicial service" as a service consisting exclusively of persons intended to fill the post of district judge and other civil judicial posts inferior to the post of district judge.
Exclusion of Executive Officers: In Chandra Mohan (1966), the Supreme Court emphasized that judicial service consists exclusively of persons occupying judicial posts, barring executive magistrates and police officers from being treated as part of the judicial service under Chapter VI.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
An Additional Sessions Judge presides over a major criminal trial.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 236 establishes the technical constitutional boundaries of the judicial branch in the States.
- Exhaustive inclusion of civil and criminal district-level judges in sub-clause (a).
- Exclusivity test in sub-clause (b): Judicial service is reserved for independent judicial officers.
- Bars executive encroachment into judicial cadres.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part VI, Article 236, printed page 110 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.