District & Sessions Court exists in each district of the province. It has both civil and criminal jurisdictions. Wherever the number of District and Sessions Judge jurisdiction cases are large, there are also deputed Additional District & Sessions Judges in the District Headquarters as well as in some Tehsils, wherever required. District & Sessions Judge has administrative and judicial powers as head of the district judiciary all over the district under his/ her jurisdiction. The courts of the District & Sessions Judge & Additional District & Sessions Judge are presided by the same Judge, however, when he/she is hearing criminal cases,  called the Sessions Judge/Additional Session Judge, and when  hearing civil cases, then  the District Judge/Additional District Judge. 

The Sessions Court Peshawar was established in 1901 under the N.W.F.P LAW & JUSTICE & REGULATION No. VII OF 1901, at its old building situated on Jail Road, adjacent to M.P.A Hostel and opposite to Central Jail, Peshawar. In the beginning, there was only one District & Sessions Judge, who presided the court but with the passage of time, as the work-load increased, several Additional District & Sessions Judges were also deputed for the purpose of administration of justice. An Additional District & Sessions Judge has the same judicial powers as full District & Sessions Judge except the Administrative Powers which are only exercised by the District & Sessions Judge and in his absence, the senior most Additional District & Sessions Judge at the district exercises such powers.

Major Englis was the first District & Sessions Judge at Peshawar, who served here from  12th December, 1901 to 10th May, 1903. Mr. S. W. Gray was the second District & Sessions Judge of district Peshawar from 20th May 1903 to 3th April, 1905 and so on... Mr. Ashfaque Taj is the present District & Sessions Judge, Peshawar.