14. Local Jurisdiction of Judicial Magistrates
(1) Subject to the control of the High Court, the Chief Judicial Magistrate may, from time to time, define the local limits of the areas within which the Magistrates appointed under section 11 or under section 13 may exercise all or any of the powers with which they may respectively be invested under this Code :
[Provided that the Court of a Special Judicial Magistrate may hold its sitting at any place within the local area for which it is established.]
(2) Except as otherwise provided by such definition, the jurisdiction and powers of every such Magistrate shall extend throughout the district.
[(3) Where the local jurisdiction of a Magistrate, appointed under section 11 or section 13 or section 18, extends to an area beyond the district, or the metropolitan area, as the case may be, in which he ordinarily holds Court, any reference in this Code to the Court of Session, Chief Judicial Magistrate or the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate shall, in relation to such Magistrate, throughout the area within his local jurisdiction, be construed, unless the context otherwise requires, as a reference to the Court of Session, Chief Judicial Magistrate, or Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, as the case may be, exercising jurisdiction in relation to the said district or metropolitan area.]
STATE AMENDMENTS : MAHARASHTRA. - After Section 14, the following section shall be inserted, namely : 14-A. Investing Judicial Magistrates with jurisdiction in specified cases or local area. - The High Court may invest any Judicial Magistrate with all or any of the powers conferred or conferrable by or under this Code upon a Judicial Magistrate in respect to particular cases or to a particular class or classes of cases, or in regard to cases generally, in any local area consisting of all or any of the districts specified by it in this behalf. [Maharashtra Act No. 23 of 1976, S. 2, w.e.f. 9-6-1976]
15. Subordination of Judicial Magistrates
(1) Every Chief Judicial Magistrate shall be subordinate to the Sessions Judge; and every other Judicial Magistrate shall, subject to the general control of the Sessions Judge, be subordinate to the Chief Judicial Magistrate.
(2) The Chief Judicial Magistrate may, from time to time, make rules or give special orders, consistent with this Code, as to the distribution of business among the Judicial Magistrates subordinate to him.
STATE AMENDMENTS : BIHAR. - After sub-section (2) of Section 15 insert the following sub-section (3) and shall be deemed always to have been inserted, namely :
"(3) Any Judicial Magistrate exercising powers over any local area extending beyond the district in which he holds his court, shall be subordinate to the Chief Judicial Magistrate of the said district and reference in this Code to the Sessions Judge shall be deemed to be reference to the Sessions Judge of that district where he holds his court". [Bihar Act No. 8 of 1977, S. 4, w.e.f. 10-1-1977]
16. Courts of Metropolitan Magistrates
(2) The presiding officers of such Courts shall be appointed by the High Court.
(3) The jurisdiction and powers of every Metropolitan Magistrate shall extend throughout the metropolitan area.
STATE AMENDMENTS :
UTTAR PRADESH. - In Section 16, after sub-section (3) insert the following :-
(4) Where the Office of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate is vacant or he is incapacitated by illness, absence or otherwise for the performance of his duties, the senior-most among the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrates and other Metropolitan Magistrates present at the place shall dispose of the urgent work of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. [U.P. Act 1 of 1984, S. 3, w.e.f. 1-5-1984].
COMMENTS