The Jammu division has ten districts. Each has its own Magistrates' courts and a Court of Session at the district headquarters, and all of them come under the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at Jammu. This guide explains where a criminal case from each district is heard, and when it reaches the High Court.
Prodigy Legal's office is in Jammu (4/1 Trikuta Nagar), and we take criminal and bail matters from across the division.
How a criminal case moves through the courts
- Police station → FIR and investigation.
- Judicial Magistrate → remand, bail in most cases, trial of less serious offences.
- Court of Session or special NDPS/POCSO court → serious offences, anticipatory bail, bail in serious cases.
- High Court at Jammu → bail after Sessions refusal, FIR quashing, appeals and revisions.
Jammu district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Jammu district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Jammu, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Jammu. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Jammu.
The district courts sit at the Judicial Complex, Janipur, which also houses the special NDPS and POCSO courts for the district. The High Court at Jammu is at Janipur too.
Samba district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Samba district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Samba, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Samba. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Samba.
A border district on the Jammu–Pathankot highway, where NDPS cases are frequently reported.
Kathua district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Kathua district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Kathua, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Kathua. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Kathua.
A border district at the entry to J&K from Punjab, where NDPS cases and preventive detentions under the PIT-NDPS Act are frequently reported.
Udhampur district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Udhampur district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Udhampur, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Udhampur. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Udhampur.
Reasi district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Reasi district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Reasi, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Reasi. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Reasi.
Rajouri district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Rajouri district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Rajouri, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Rajouri. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Rajouri.
Poonch district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Poonch district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Poonch, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Poonch. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Poonch.
Doda district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Doda district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Doda, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Doda. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Doda.
Kishtwar district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Kishtwar district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Kishtwar, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Kishtwar. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Kishtwar.
Ramban district
Criminal cases registered at police stations in Ramban district are heard by the Magistrates' courts and the Court of the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Ramban, and the Additional Sessions courts of the district. Bail in serious cases is decided first by the Sessions Court of Ramban. If it is refused, a fresh application can be made to the High Court at Jammu, which also hears petitions to quash FIRs and criminal appeals from Ramban.
A special fast-track court for POCSO cases was set up in Ramban.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to go to Jammu for a case registered in my district?
Trial and the first bail applications are heard in your own district. You come to Jammu only for High Court matters: bail after Sessions refusal, quashing, appeals and revisions.
Does Prodigy Legal take matters from outside Jammu city?
Yes. Matters from all ten districts of the Jammu division are handled, before the court of the district concerned or before the High Court at Jammu.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-15. This page gives general information about criminal procedure in Jammu and Kashmir. It is not legal advice, and every case turns on its own facts. Statutory references are to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), with the earlier CrPC/IPC provisions in brackets where helpful.