The foundation stone for a new High Court building of Telangana in Rangareddy district marks a milestone in the evolution of the judicial system in Hyderabad.
Unlike the High Courts of Bombay, Chennai and Calcutta, the High Court in Hyderabad was shaped by the Asaf Jahi rulers. It is from a time when judgments were the preserves of Jagirdars in their territory. The earliest court in Hyderabad was the Dar ul Qaza Balda during the time of Maharaja Chandulal. But it was a chaotic arrangement with overlaps. One of the places where justice was administered was called ‘Adalat e Chini Khana’ at Dewan Deodi, where matters under ₹1,000 were decided. The Chini Khana was one of the rooms in the palace of the Salar Jung that was decorated with chinaware.
It was during the time when Salar Jung was the prime minister that the separation of civil and criminal jurisdiction was made. The Mahakma-e-Sadar Murafa was established with jurisdiction over ‘kul mumalik-i-mahroosa sarkar-i-aali’ (the whole of H. E. H. the Nizam’s Dominions).
