There are eleven administrative or revenue districts in Delhi, India, all of which fall under the Delhi division. Each of these revenue district is headed by a District Magistrate (DM) also called Deputy Commissioner (DC), These 11 districts are divided into 33 sub-divisions of Delhi, each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). The district administration of Delhi is the enforcement department for all kinds of the Government of Delhi's policies and exercises supervisory powers over numerous other functionaries of the government.
The District magistrate/ Deputy Commissioner reports to the Divisional Commissioner who is ex-officio Director of Civil Defence, Inspector General of Stamps and Registration and Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary of Revenue Department of Delhi (as may be the case).
New Delhi serves as the capital of India and is the seat of all three branches of the government, Executive (Rashtrapati Bhavan), Legislature (Sansad Bhavan) and Judiciary (Supreme Court). Similarly, Delhi is divided into 15 Police Districts, each headed by an IPS officer of the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). These 15 police districts are divided into 66 police sub-divisions of Delhi, each headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
History
The present system of administration in Delhi can be traced back to the British India (1858–1947). During the Delhi Durbar of 1911, the capital of India was shifted from Calcutta in the erstwhile Bengal Presidency to New Delhi. Later the status of Delhi was elevated to a union territory in November 1956. After the 69th Constitutional (Amendment) Act of 1991 came into force, Delhi was formally renamed as the National Capital Territory of Delhi or NCT of Delhi.
During the 1970s, Delhi had only four administrative districts ie North, South, Central and New Delhi. Between January 1997 and September 2012, there were nine administrative districts and 27 sub-divisions. In September 2012, two new administrative districts, viz. South East Delhi and Shahdara were added to the city's map.
In 1978, the Delhi Police Act was promulgated, by which Delhi came under the Police Commissionerate system. Since then almost all powers with respect to maintenance of law & order with the Deputy Commissioner were vested in the Commissioner of Delhi Police (as per the Criminal procedure code or CrPC).
The erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) came into existence in April 1958. Later in January 2012, MCD was trifurcated into North, South and East MCD. In 2022, the 3 municipal corporations were merged again into the newly founded Municipal Corporation of Delhi which is headed by Municipal Commissioner.
In December 2025, the Cabinet of Delhi government approved the reorganization of its 11 districts into 13 districts to align the revenue district boundaries with the 12 zones of Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment. Three new districts – Old Delhi, Central North Delhi and Outer North Delhi were carved out of existing districts, while the Shahdara district was dissolved. The number of sub-districts were increased from 33 to 39.
List of districts and sub-divisions
Below is the list of 11 districts and 33 sub-divisions of Delhi (with effect from September 2012). All 11 districts of Delhi fall under Delhi division.
| No. | District | Population | Area | Sub-divisions (Tehsils) | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Delhi | 578,671 | 23 | Civil Lines | Karol Bagh | Kotwali | |
| 2 | East Delhi | 1,707,725 | 49 | Gandhi Nagar | Mayur Vihar | Preet Vihar | |
| 3 | New Delhi | 133,713 | 35 | Chanakyapuri | Delhi Cantonment | Vasant Vihar | |
| 4 | North Delhi | 883,418 | 59 | Alipur | Model Town | Narela | |
| 5 | North East Delhi | 2,240,749 | 56 | Karawal Nagar | Seelampur | Yamuna Vihar | |
| 6 | North West Delhi | 3,651,261 | 234.4 | Kanjhawala | Rohini | Saraswati Vihar | |
| 7 | Shahdara | 322,931 | 59.75 | Seemapuri | Shahdara | Vivek Vihar | |
| 8 | South Delhi | 2,733,752 | 249 | Hauz Khas | Mehrauli | Saket | |
| 9 | South East Delhi | 637,775 | 102 | Defence Colony | Kalkaji | Sarita Vihar | |
| 10 | South West Delhi | 2,292,363 | 421 | Dwarka | Kapashera | Najafgarh | |
| 11 | West Delhi | 2,531,583 | 131 | Patel Nagar | Punjabi Bagh | Rajouri Garden | |
List of Municipalities in Delhi
There are three Municipalities (1 Municipal Corporation, 1 Municipal Council and 1 Cantonment Board) in Delhi. These are as follows:
| Municipality | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| Municipal Corporation of Delhi | 12 Zones (Centre, South, West, Najafgarh, Rohini, Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, SP-City, Keshavpuram, Narela, Shahdara North & Shahdara South) |
| New Delhi Municipal Council | New Delhi |
| Delhi Cantonment Board | Delhi Cantonment |
See also
- Districts of Delhi Police
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