History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s23.3

v3.c41.s23.3

Minor criminal cases were always disposed of by village Pañchayats or village officers. The expression ‘sadaśāparādha’ used in every inam grant-deed shows, according to our view, that ten offences of a minor character were finally disposable by the village officers and hence in inam villages the inamdar had the right to try them and to have the fines levied in connection with them. With regard to other offences and higher civil disputes, the practice must have been for the complainant or suitor to appear either before the king or before his district representative the Rājasthānīya or Daṇḍanāyaka who probably had the same power as the king to try cases with the help of assessors. And further Hindu judicial system knew no appeals; a person losing his case in the district court might take it before the king and the case was tried de novo if the king thought fit. Apparently this was the practice even down to the days of the Peshwas.