There are nine administrative districts in Delhi. The present system of administration in Delhi can be traced back to 1803, when Delhi came under British rule and eventually became part of British Punjab. Delhi district had a Deputy Commissioner who was the Chief District Officer, having revenue and Registration powers. He was also the head of urban administration, being President of the District Board and the Municipality. Till independence, Delhi had a Chief Commissioner as the administrative and executive head, with the Deputy Commissioner reporting to him. He had three Assistant Commissioners to share responsibilities such as case work of revenue and criminal appeals, municipal and minor criminal cases, and administration of the Municipality.

After independence, the nature of District Administration of Delhi underwent some changes with devolution of powers to newly created Departments. For example, the development works were transferred to the Development Commissioner, the industries work to the Directorate of Industries and the work of transport to the Department of Transport. However, Deputy Commissioner, Delhi continued to be the head of District Administration, responsible for law and order, excise, issue of arms and explosive licenses, and citizenship certificates, apart from revenue and criminal judicial work. In the mid-seventies, the office of Deputy Commissioner was organised. There were four administrative districts - New, Central, North and South, looked after by three Assistant District Magistrates, amongst whom the various other powers and functions, such as treasuries, excise, entertainment etc., were divided. There were 12 Sub-Divisions, each headed by Sub Division Magistrates, which was later reduced to seven.

Two major changes greatly diluted the role of Deputy Commissioner`s Office. The first was the separation of the executive and the judiciary in 1969, after which heinous crimes were dealt with by Sessions Courts and other offences including IPC offences were dealt with by Judicial Magistrates. The Executive Magistrates were to look after executive and administrative matters.

In the year 1978, Delhi Police Act was promulgated, by which Delhi came under the Commissioner of Police system. This was the situation in 1996 when the exercise of decentralizing the Deputy Commissioner`s office by setting up 27 Sub Divisional Magistrate offices and nine Deputy Commissioner`s offices were started. While the Sub Divisional Magistrates were put in place in mid-1996, the Deputy Commissioners began functioning from 1st of January, 1997.

Delhi is the national capital of India and is known for its excellent tourist spots, recreational facilities and rich cultural tradition. It is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River and covers an area of 1,485 sq km. It is also the nucleus of trade, commerce and industry and the centre of Indian politics. Offices of central governments are also located here. Its rich cultural and historic tradition is manifested in the numerous historical monuments that are scattered throughout the state. Prominent among them are the Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Purana Quila, Tughlaqabad Fort, Tomb of Humayun, Firoz Shah Kotla Stadium, India Gate, Lodi Garden, Jama Masjid, Rajghat, Jantar Mantar and Safdarjung`s Tomb.

Delhi is divided into nine districts, which are as follows -
Central Delhi District: Central Delhi District is spread over an area of 25 sq kms. Connaught place, a thriving commercial centre lies in Central District.

East Delhi District: East Delhi District is situated on the banks of Yamuna River and is one of the densely populated areas in Delhi. It has some of the busiest commercial areas in Delhi like Vikas Marg, Gandhi Nagar and Lakshmi Nagar.

New Delhi District: New Delhi District covers an area of 35 sq km. It is situated on the eastern side of the river Yamuna. Attractions of this district include the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the one-time imperial residence of the British viceroys and the India Gate.

North Delhi District: North Delhi District covers an area of 60 sq km.

North East Delhi District: North East Delhi District is largely rural and is spread over an area of 60 sq. km.

North West Delhi District: North West Delhi District is the largest in Delhi and covers an area of 440 sq km.

South Delhi District: South Delhi District is an idyllic tourist destination. The major tourist attractions include Qutub Minar, Balban`s tomb, Humayun`s Tomb. It is also dotted with a number of temples, which are Kalkaji Temple, Lotus Temple, Chattarpur Mandir and Sai Baba Temple.

South West Delhi District: South West Delhi District is spread over an area of 420 sq km and has a distinguished historical background.

West Delhi District: West Delhi District covers an area of 129 sq. km.