DR.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL

LAW UNIVERSITY

SYNOPSIS OF
HISTORY - III

On: Development and progress of

Adalat system
Submitted to:
Dr. Vandana Singh
Associate Professor

Submitted By:
Avinash Maurya
BA LLB (hons.) Semester III

Introduction
The judicial system of a country needs to be efficient in order to ensure effective overall
administration. However, when the British came to the country, the judicial setup in India
was in dire need of reform as it suffered from defects like lack of uniform laws learned
people to adjudicate disputes and administer justice. They saw these defects and sought to
establish a system that could cater to these. Warren Hastings and Lord Cornwallis introduced
their Judicial Plans, beginning in 1772. These plans established a hierarchy of courts and
designated officials who were to decide matters, taking help from advisors who were wellversed with the parties personal laws. This system formed the basic framework for the
system of courts that we have today. Law Commissions convened during the period helped
enormously in laying down uniform laws. The principles of justice, equity and good
conscience, also made their way into the legal system. Though the British may have
introduced these changes for their own administrative convenience, yet these changes
contributed significantly to the modern Indian legal system
Prior to the establishment of a proper system regarding the administration of justice in India,
there was an extremely decadent system in place whose very existence itself was a grave
injustice. People could neither access judicial institutions easily, nor could they depend on
these to give them a fair and equitable judgement. In addition to that, there was not much
proportionality between the offence committed and punishment awarded.
This was the job entrusted to Warren Hastings, when he was the Governor of Calcutta. He
was asked by the Court of Directors to employ methods that would reduce the oppression of
the Zamindars and other officials who were over-using their power for all the wrong reasons,
thereby causing undue pain and harm to the local peasants. It must be noted that the British
were extremely prudent in realising the unmistakable link between revenue and civil matters.
Having this thought in mind, helped them ensure that not only their aims in India were
reached but more importantly the interests of the people were neither neglected nor
forgotten. These were the conditions to which Warren Hastings was introduced and given the

task of devising a new legal system, which ultimately came to be known as the Adalat
System.

Objective
To discuss the change brought in administration of justice system by different
governor general.
To find out the pros and cons of different judicial plans.
To analyze system formed the basic framework for the system of courts.

Research Questions

How the Adalat system introduced in India?

What were the framework adopted for administration of justice?
What are the defects of the different judicial plans?
What were the impact of Adalat system on present judicial system in India?

Methodology
Research Methodology in the making of this Project will be Doctrinal Research
Methodology. This Methodology will be best suited for the Topic of the Project. Researchers
who deal with this type of research mainly concern with the philosophy of Topic involved.
Besides reference from books and journals, documents are given due weightage which
provided the needful contribution required in the proper completion of the research. Above
all, views advocated by eminent personalities as well as historians are given due importance.

Tentative Chapterisation

 INTRODUCTION
SITUATION PRIOR TO INTRODUCTION OF ADALAT SYSTEM
SYSTEM INTRODUCED UNDER WARREN HASTINGS
JUDICIAL PLAN OF 1772
JUDICIAL PLAN OF 1774
CHANGES MADE BY LORD CORNWALLIS
JUDICIAL PLAN OF of 1787

JUDICIAL PLAN OF 1790

JUDCIAL PLAN OF 1793
IMPACT OF JUDICIAL POLICIES OF BRITISH ERA ON CURRENT SYSTEM
CONCLUSION

Bibliography and Web references

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

M P Jain, Outlines of Indian legal and constitutional history (6th edn, Lexis Nexis 2008) 66.
M. P. Jain, Outlines of Indian Legal and Constitutional History, (6th Edition).
S.D. Sharma, Administration of Justice in Ancient India, New Delhi: Harman Publishing House,
1988.