The Ministry of Justice (; ) was the justice ministry of the Ottoman Empire, based in Constantinople (now Istanbul). It also served as the Ministry of Religions. "Il est remarqué que les autorites ecclesiastiques des Communautes non-musulmanes dependent du Ministere de la justice, qui est aussi le Ministere des Cultes."
It was established in 1879 as part of a reorganisation of the empire's legal system. Non-Muslim ecclesiastical authorities relied on the ministry. The ministry took control of the commercial courts and commercial appeal courts from the Ministry of Commerce.
Organization By 1900, the Ministry of Justice included the following high courts:
Supreme Judicial Council (Encümen-i Adliye) Court of Cassation (Mahkeme-i Temyiz), with civil, criminal, and administrative sections. Appeals Court (Mahkeme-i Istinaf), with criminal, civil, correctional, and commercial justice sections. Court for the First Instance for Istanbul (Der Saadet Bidayet Mahkemesi) Tribunal of Commerce (Mahkeme-i Ticaret)
The ministry was responsible for administering secular Nizamiye Courts, training judges, and supervizing secular legal education.
Successor Ministry of Justice (Turkey) currently governs affairs in Turkey.
See also Ioannis Vithynos Supreme Council of Judicial Ordinances, its predecessor
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