History

Before independence, there was no post of permanent District and Sessions Judge at Shimla and District and Sessions Judge, Ambala had been regularly holding Circuit / Camp Court at Shimla in the building of Collectorate. After independence, the Shimla town was under Punjab State and the District and Sessions Judge, Ambala had been holding Camp Court at Shimla. However, there was a permanent Court of Senior Sub Judge – cum – Rent Controller – cum – Judge Small Causes – cum – CJM at Shimla. After formation of Himachal Pradesh on 15.04.1948, the Headquarter District Mahasu was established at Kasumpti and District and Sessions Judge for Mahasu had been sitting at Kasumpti. There was also a Court of Assistant Sessions Judge – cum – Senior Sub Judge Mahasu Subordinate Judge, Kandaghat who had also been holding camp Court at Shimla. After the hill areas of Punjab were merged in Himachal on Ist November, 1966 and Shimla District was created, the Court of District & Sessions Judge started functioning permanently at Shimla, which is housed in the building of District Collectorate. On Ist November, 1972, after re-organization of Hill areas after attaining Statehood, some parts of Mahasu District were merged in Shimla and some parts were merged in Solan District. Earlier District Bilaspur and District Kinnaur were parts of Shimla Sessions Division, but later on, District Bilaspur was made a full fledged Sessions Division. . In the year 1995, full fledged Sessions Division was also created for Kinnaur District with headquarters at Rampur.

Presently, besides the Court of District and Sessions Judge, there are six other Appellate Courts being the Court of District & Sessions Judge ( Forest), District & Sessions Judge (Family Court), Additional District & Sessions Judge (C.B.I.), Additional District & Sessions Judge-I, Additional District & Sessions Judge-II and Additional District & Sessions Judge (Fast Track Special Court RAPE/POCSO) at Shimla.

In the District Judiciary, there are ten Courts stationed at District Judicial Court Complex Chakkar, Shimla comprising the Court of Senior Civil Judge-cum-Chief Judicial Magistrate, two Courts of Senior Civil Judge-cum-ACJM, eight Courts of Senior Civil Judge-cum-Judicial Magistrate First Class and one Court of Mobile Traffic Magistrate. There are two Courts of Senior Civil Judge-cum-ACJM at Taluka Court Theog and Rohru respectively. There are three Courts of Civil Judge-cum-Judicial Magistrate First Class at Taluka Court Chopal, Rohru and Jubbal.