Administration in Bihar#Judiciary

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| image1 = BengalPartition1905 Map.png

| caption1 = Bihar as part of
Bengal Presidency
(1776–1912)^{[Note 1]}

| image2 = Bihar and Orissa province.jpg

| caption2 = Bihar and Orissa Province
(1912–1936)

| image3 = Bihār. 7-69. LOC gm70003327.jpg

| caption3 = Bihar Province
(Pre-independence )
Bihar State
(Post-independence )
1936–2000

| image4 = Bihar locator map.svg

| caption4 = Bihar after
Bihar Jharkhand bifurcation
post 2011

| header = Recent History of
Administrative of structure
Bihar

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| footer = [Note 1] : 1905 map of Bengal Presidency, British India

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Magadha, Anga and Vajjika League of Mithila, c. 600 BCE.

Before 1905, Bihar was a part of British East India Company's Bengal Presidency. In 1905 the Bengal Presidency was divided and created two new provinces: East Bengal and West Bengal. Until then Bihar was part of West Bengal. Again West Bengal and East Bengal reunited in 1911 but the people of Bihar and Orrisa demanded a separate province based on language rather than religion. In 1912 Bihar and Orissa Province was created separating from Bengal Presidency. In 1936, Bihar and Orrisa Province divided into two new provinces: Bihar Province and Orissa Province.

Following Divisions were included in Bihar and Orissa Province when it separated from Bengal Presidency in 1912:

• Bhagalpur Division (districts of Bhagalpur, Munger (Monghyr), Purnea and the Santhal Parganas)
• Patna Division (Gaya, Patna and Shahabad)
• Tirhut Division (Champaran, Darbhanga, Muaffarpur and Saran)
• Chota Nagpur Division (Hazaribagh, Manbhum, Palamau, Ranchi and Singhbhum)
• Orissa Division (Angul, Balasore, Cuttack, Puri and Sambatpur)

On 1 April 1936 Bihar and Orissa Province was divided into two new provinces: Bihar Province and Orissa Province

In 1936, Bihar became a separate province including part of Jharkhand.

After the independence of India in 1951, Bihar including Jharkhand had 18 divisions, and had 55 districts in 1991.

In 2000, Bihar again divided into two states: the current Bihar and Jharkhand. In 2001 Bihar had a total of 38 districts.

{{Administrative structure of Bihar}}

{{Further|Divisions of Bihar|List of districts of Bihar}}

There are 38 districts in Bihar, grouped into 9 divisions —Patna, Tirhut, Saran, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Munger and Magadh —are as listed below.{{Divisions and Districts of Bihar}}

{{Further|Subdivisions of Bihar}}

Sub-divisions (Anumandal) in Bihar are like sub-districts. There are 101 subdivisions in Bihar.

The Indian state of Bihar is divided into 534 CD Block called blocks.{{cite web|title=State Profile|url=http://www.gov.bih.nic.in/Profile/default.htm|publisher=Government of Bihar|access-date=6 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706135323/http://gov.bih.nic.in/Profile/default.htm|archive-date=6 July 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://dse.bih.nic.in/BSS%20contact.pdf|title=534 Bihar Blocks list|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828192803/http://dse.bih.nic.in/BSS%20contact.pdf|archive-date=2017-08-28}}

{{Further|List of cities in Bihar by population}}

As per Census 2011, Bihar is the second least urbanised state in the country, with a rate of urbanisation of 11.3%, as compared to the national rate of 31.16%.{{Cite web|last=Ranjan|first=Sagarika|date=8 February 2016|title=The challenge of urbanizing Bihar|url=http://www.governancetoday.co.in/the-challenge-of-urbanizing-bihar/|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Governance Today}}{{Cite web|title=Provisional Population Totals: Urban Agglomerations and Cities|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/1.%20data%20highlight.pdf|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Census India}} The state has 139 StatutoryTowns and 60 Census Towns.{{Cite web|title=Provisional Population Totals: Bihar|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/bihar/Provisional%20Population%20Totals%202011-Bihar.pdf|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Census India}}

For the administration of the urban areas, Bihar has 19 municipal corporations, 88 nagar parishads (city councils), and 154 nagar panchayats (town councils).{{cite web|title=Bihar Civic elections likely in May 2017|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170330/jsp/bihar/story_143389.jsp#.WNziu7lMTcs|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331031251/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170330/jsp/bihar/story_143389.jsp#.WNziu7lMTcs|archive-date=31 March 2017|access-date=30 March 2017}}{{cite news|last=Pandey|first=Ashutosh Kumar|date=20 March 2017|title=बिहार : नगर विकास एवं आवास विभाग की पहल, पुनर्गठन से नगर परिषदों की बढ़ जायेगी संख्या|language=hi|trans-title=Bihar: Initiatives of the Department of Urban Development and Housing, will increase the number of city councils by restructuring|newspaper=Prabhat Khabar|url=http://www.prabhatkhabar.com/news/patna/reorganization-will-increase-the-number-of-city-councils/956843.html|url-status=live|access-date=19 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324174135/http://www.prabhatkhabar.com/news/patna/reorganization-will-increase-the-number-of-city-councils/956843.html|archive-date=24 March 2017}}{{cite web|title=पहली बार कोई महिला बनेगी पटना नगर निगम की मेयर|trans-title=For the first time, a woman will become the mayor of Patna Municipal Corporation|url=http://www.prabhatkhabar.com/news/patna/story/954291.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324175018/http://www.prabhatkhabar.com/news/patna/story/954291.html|archive-date=24 March 2017|access-date=24 March 2017}}{{cite web|title=Ward delimitation begins in Chhapra|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/ward-delimitation-begins-in-chhapra/articleshow/57299170.cms|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227073049/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/ward-delimitation-begins-in-chhapra/articleshow/57299170.cms|archive-date=27 February 2017|access-date=24 March 2017}}{{cite web|date=14 February 2017|title=छपरा को निगम बख्तियारपुर को मिला नगर परिषद का दर्जा|url=https://www.bhaskar.com/news/BIH-PAT-HMU-MAT-latest-patna-news-020501-2002341-NOR.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324181148/http://www.bhaskar.com/news/BIH-PAT-HMU-MAT-latest-patna-news-020501-2002341-NOR.html|archive-date=24 March 2017|access-date=24 March 2017}} Bihar has one municipal act to establish and govern all municipalities in the state: Bihar Municipal Act, 2007.{{Cite web|title=Bihar Municipal Act, 2007|url=http://urban.bih.nic.in/Acts/AR-01-29-03-2007.pdf|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Urban Development and Housing Department, Government of Bihar}}

As per a 2017 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Bihar carry out 12 out of 18 functions, and the remaining 6 are carried out by Bihar state government departments.{{Cite web|title=Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Local Bodies for the year ended March 2016|url=https://cag.gov.in/sites/default/files/audit_report_files/Report_No.4_of_2017_-_Local_Bodies_Government_of_Bihar.pdf|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Comptroller and Auditor General of India}} The Fifth Bihar State Finance Commission report states that the ULB funds are ‘grossly inadequate for their assigned functions, they are unable to utilize even that’.{{Cite web|title=Final Report for 2015-20 of the Fifth State Finance Commission Bihar|url=http://finance.bih.nic.in/Documents/5th-SFC-Volume-I.pdf|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Finance Department, Government of Bihar}}

The Bihar Municipal Act, 2007 creates the following categories of urban areas based on their population. All three types of urban areas must have at least 75% of their population engaged in non-agricultural work.

Further, depending on the population size, the Act prescribes the minimum and maximum number of councillors/wards allowed within each type of local government.

The Act mentions the following key positions as well as committees for ULBs:

Bihar Municipal Act, 2007 mandates the establishment of Ward Committees through the Bihar Urban Local Body (Community Participation) Rules, 2013.{{Cite web|title=Bihar Urban Local Body (Community Participation) Rules, 2013|url=http://www.bareactslive.com/BIH/bh543.htm|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Bare Acts Live}} Section 31 of the Bihar Municipal Act, 2007 mandates the establishment of Ward Committees for each ward of a municipality. The ward level elected councillor would be the chairperson of their respective Ward Committee. Up to 10 representatives from the civil society belonging to the ward would be nominated into the committee by the ULB.

Even though the creation of ward committees is mandated in municipalities, they have not been formed in Bihar.{{Cite web|title=National Consultation on Urban Governance: Key Findings from 21 States|url=https://www.praja.org/praja_docs/praja_downloads/National%20Consultation%20On%20Urban%20Governance-%20Key%20Finding%20From%2021%20States.pdf|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Praja}}

{{Main|Government of Bihar}}

Like other states in India, the head of state of Bihar is the Governor, appointed by the President of India on the advice of the central government. His or her post is largely ceremonial. The Chief Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. Patna is the capital of Bihar.

The Patna High Court, located in Patna, has jurisdiction over the whole state. The present legislative structure of Bihar is bicameral. The Legislative houses are the Bihar Vidhan Sabha (Bihar Legislative Assembly) and Bihar Vidhan Parishad (Bihar Legislative Council). Their normal term is five years, unless dissolved earlier.

{{main|Bihar Vidhan Parishad|Bihar Vidhan Sabha}}

{{See also|Vidhan Parishad|Vidhan Sabha}}

Bihar is one of the six states where bicameral legislature exists. Other states are Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The Vidhan Parishad serves as the upper house and Vidhan Sabha serves as the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The current strength of the Bihar Vidhan Parishad is 75 (63 Elected + 12 Nominated) is a permanent body. The current strength of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha is 243 and is not a permanent body which means it is subject to dissolution.

{{See also|Judiciary of India}}

{{See also|High courts of India}}

The Patna High Court ({{langx|hi|पटना उच्च न्यायालय}}) is the High Court of the state of Bihar and was established on 9 February 1916 and later affiliated under the Government of India Act 1915. The Patna High Court is the principle civil courts in Bihar. However, a high court exercises its original civil and criminal jurisdiction only if the subordinate courts are not authorized by law to try such matters for lack of pecuniary, territorial jurisdiction. High courts may also enjoy original jurisdiction in certain matters, if so designated especially in a state or federal law. The Patna High Court has 53 Judges which includes 40 permanent and 13 additional judges.

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• Administration in India
• Government of Bihar
• Divisions of Bihar
• Districts in Bihar

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130518065509/http://bihar.nic.in/ Official government website]

{{Government of India by state or territory}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Administration In Bihar}}

Category:Government of Bihar