Munsiff
Topic: Colonial Economy: Land Revenue, Drain, Deindustrialisation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Colonialism and the Countryside"
Meaning
A munsiff was an Indian judge of a lower civil court in Company-ruled India. A civil court deals with disputes over property, rent and debt. His court was called a cutcherry. After the Permanent Settlement of 1793, zamindars lost their own courts. Disputes then went to Company courts, including the munsiff's court, so rent cases could drag on for years.
Example
In early 19th-century Dinajpur, jotedars sometimes took the zamindar's officers to court when the officers tried to force them to pay rent. These cases tied up the zamindar in long legal fights. In Burdwan alone, more than 30,000 suits for unpaid rent were pending in 1798.
Don't confuse with
- Collector: the Company official in charge of collecting revenue in a district. The munsiff was a judge who heard civil cases.
Related concepts
- Francis Buchanan
- Jotedar
- Bargadar
- Gantidar
- Haoladar
- Mandal
- Under-ryot
- Patta and qabuliyat
- Kist
- George Chinnery