History of Judicial system in Konbaung period

Abstract

This dissertation, entitled "History of Judicial System in Konbaung Period" is written in four chapters: (1) Different Levels of Judiciary, (2) Criminal Cases, (3) Civil Cases, and (4) Legal Cases Involving Buddhist Monks. Chapter one deals with the different levels of courts established in Myanmar for trying and determining civil and criminal cases, and the jurisdiction they had. Chapter two discusses criminal cases. How the crimeswere classified into major and minor crimes, how the criminal cases had to be tried in accordance with the royal orders or yazathats,and how the four types of trial by ordeal were resorted to when there were no witnesses are discussed in this chapter. Chapter three discusses how the civil cases had to be decided according to the dhammathatsor customary law and how the litigants had to submit bills (ie.formal complaints) and answers (ie, replies to these complaints). How learned Myanmar monks and lay scholars had written various dhammathatsor Myanmar Buddhist Laws are also explained in this chapter. Chapter four is on the casesinvolving Buddhist monks. How different levels of arbitrators, from the abbot of a monastery to the Thathanabyu Sayadaw (Supreme Patriarch), had to hear and determine the cases involving monks, how the cases were decided in accordance withthe Vinaya texts, and how the cases involving both monks and laypersonswere decided according to the dhammathats if the litigating monks agreed are dealt with in this chapter.