The Law To Know

← All court structures

Courts of India

A single, unified system across the country, with the Supreme Court at the top. Each state has a High Court, and tribunals handle many specialised disputes.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Courts

Supreme Court of IndiaAlso decides constitutional questions
High CourtsOne for each state or group of states
District and Sessions CourtsCivil and criminal
Subordinate courtsMagistrates and munsiffs

Tribunals

Specialised tribunalsFor example tax, environment and company law
Appeals travel up the arrows. Boxes with a heavier border are the top court of each track.

Worth knowing

  • India has one integrated judiciary rather than separate federal and state court systems.
  • High Courts can also issue writs to protect fundamental rights, and so can the Supreme Court.

Compare India with another country →
Read the India profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

Sources

Other systems

African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam

TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.