Constitution

            The township courts are established under the 2008 Constitution.

Composition

            In every township court a township judge is appointed by the Supreme Court of the Union. Additional  township judges or deputy  township judges may also be appointed by the Supreme Court of the Union depending on the volume of work. Those judges are conferred with judicial powers by the Supreme Court of the Union in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and Civil Procedure Code.

            A township judge is the officer in charge of court administration matters. He or she also has the power to distribute all cases received in the township court to other judges of the township courts. But every judge has independent jurisdiction over cases assigned to him or her.

Jurisdiction

            Township courts are mainly courts of original jurisdiction. The judges appointed to a township court are township judges, additional township judges and deputy township Judges. Township judges by virtue of their posts are specially empowered as magistrates who can pass sentences of up to 7 years imprisonment where as an additional township judge, if he or she is especially empowered with such special magistral powers, may award sentences not exceeding 7 years. The remaining deputy township judges can impose sentences according to their magistral powers.

            Some of the civil cases in which the amount in dispute or value of the subject matter does not exceed 10,000,000 kyats are adjudicated in township courts. They also exercise juvenile jurisdiction specially conferred under 1993 Child Law.