The Delhi High Court’s judicial committee has called representatives of the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations for a meeting on January 30 to discuss the long-pending demand to raise the pecuniary jurisdiction limit of district courts from ₹2 crore to ₹20 crore.
The process to potentially revise the pecuniary jurisdiction of Delhi’s district courts has gained momentum, with the Delhi High Court’s judge-led committee summoning representatives of the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations for consultations on January 30.
The meeting follows sustained efforts by the Coordination Committee since last year to push for a significant upward revision in the financial limits of cases that can be tried by district courts. In May 2025, the committee had formally approached Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, requesting that the jurisdictional limit under the Delhi High Court Act be increased from the current ₹2 crore to at least ₹20 crore, citing inflation and the need for quicker access to justice.
A delegation including Coordination Committee Chairman Nagendra Kumar, spokesperson Neeraj, and New Delhi Bar Association (NDBA) Secretary Tarun Rana had personally met the minister with this demand.
Later, in November 2025, a joint meeting of advocates was held at the Patiala House Courts complex, where it was reiterated that increasing the pecuniary jurisdiction would reduce case pendency in the High Court and bring justice closer to litigants.
On January 24, 2026, the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court issued a letter to the coordination committee, requesting it to depute three to four representatives for a formal interaction with the judge-led committee examining the issue.
Quoting from the letter, the registrar wrote:
“I am, therefore, to request you to kindly send three or four representatives of the Coordination Committee, All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi, for interaction with the judges of the committee on Friday, January 30.”
Reacting to the court’s communication, NDBA Secretary Tarun Rana said:
“Our demand for enhancing the original pecuniary civil jurisdiction to district courts is to ensure meeting the concept of speedy justice and justice at the doorstep. Justice delayed is justice denied. We believe that the competent authorities are now also in agreement.”
Coordination Committee chairman Nagendra Kumar echoed the same concern, saying:
“The requirement of increasing pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts in Delhi is for the welfare of common litigants who face the issues of high litigation costs and delayed justice.”
Currently, cases involving claims above ₹2 crore fall within the original civil jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court. The proposed change aims to ease this burden and empower trial courts to deal with higher-value disputes directly, thereby improving access to justice.
- The current ₹2 crore threshold was last revised in 2015 from ₹20 lakh.
- The proposal seeks a tenfold increase, aligning with economic realities and expanding caseloads.
- Any revision would require amendment to the Delhi High Court Act, 1966, which governs jurisdictional limits.
Following the January 30 meeting, the High Court’s committee may forward its recommendations to the Centre, which holds the authority to amend the relevant law.
