At which place did Raja Ranjit Singh set up the Adalat-i-Ala ?

Question

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Correct — B, Lahore. Lahore was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's capital (he captured it in 1799 and was formally crowned there in 1801), and it was here that he set up the Adalat-i-Ala, the highest regular court of appeal in the Sikh Empire's judicial system. The Adalat-i-Ala stood at the top of the ordinary court hierarchy, hearing appeals against the decisions of the provincial (Nazim) and district/pargana (Kardar) courts. Above even this court, the Maharaja himself remained the final court of appeal. Since the question asks where the Adalat-i-Ala was established, the answer is his capital, Lahore.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Amritsar was the religious and commercial heart of the Sikh Empire (site of the Harmandir Sahib and an important mint), but it was not the seat of the Adalat-i-Ala — the highest court was located at the political capital, Lahore.  (c) Firozpur was a frontier town near the Sutlej, close to the boundary with British-controlled territory; it was never the location of the empire's supreme court.  (d) Multan was a subah (province) annexed by Ranjit Singh in 1818 and administered by a Nazim; appeals from its provincial court travelled UP to the Adalat-i-Ala at Lahore — Multan itself was not the seat of that court.

Concept: Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) unified the Sikh misls into a single Sikh Empire with its capital at Lahore. His administration ran a graded judicial system: village panchayats settled local disputes at the base; Kardars dispensed justice at the pargana/district level; Nazims (provincial governors) held courts at the subah level; and the Adalat-i-Ala at Lahore was the highest appellate court in this structure. The Maharaja was the ultimate court of appeal. Justice drew on customary law and on Sikh, Hindu and Muslim personal law as relevant to the parties.

State PCS 2021 Q51 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q51 — History PYQ with Answer