Central 46

The is an organization that serves as the judiciary authority of the Soul Society. Operating under a mandate from the Spirit King, the influence Central 46 goes well beyond the boundaries of a judiciary authority and into those of legislative and operative authorities.

Overview
The Central 46 is comprised of forty wise men, gathered from all over the Soul Society, and six judges. These men are in charge of trying all Shinigami crimes, whether they were committed in Soul Society or the Human World. The 46 are also within their jurisdiction to order the use of deadly force by the Gotei 13, the Onmitsukidō or the Kidō Corps. Once a decision has been made, it is never overturned. While Soul Society has its own royal family and king, they reside within a distinct dimension outside of Soul Society and their rule is not felt by Soul Society's residents. The Central 46 receive a mandate from the Spirit King to act in his place and so are considered for all intents and purposes as the royal and the ruling class of Soul Society. However, the 46 have no jurisdiction over the Royal Guard or the Shinō Academy. Upon their deaths at the hands of Sōsuke Aizen during the Soul Society arc, Captain-Commander Yamamoto has taken over their normal duties. Some time later, the Central 46 is reassembled and is shown performing its judiciary duties.

Residence
The residencial district of the Central 46 is an enclave in Seireitei called inside the Central 46 Compound. This enclave is forbidden for entry to anyone, regardless of their military or civilian status.

Proceedings
The proceedings take place in the underground assembly hall within the Central 46 Compound. Each of the Central 46 has a plaque with a number on it obscuring his face. These plaques are the only means to identify individual members. Investigations will be held by the Onmitsukidō in secret, at the behest of the 46. Defendants will not be told exactly what it is they are accused of until sentencing, nor what the source of the accusation was; they are only allowed to speak when they answer the questions addressed to them and will only rarely, if ever, given a chance to speak for themselves. The evidence is deemed far more important than any testimony. The Central 46 has very little patience to breaches of protocol. Wanton disregard for the proceedings or contempt of the Central 46 will more than likely bring added charges or sentence.

Laws

 * It is against the law for a Shinigami to give their spiritual power to Humans.
 * It is against the law for a Shinigami to use forbidden Kidō.
 * It is against the law for any citizen of Soul Society to create weapons of a dangerous nature not sanctioned by the feudal government. To do so is treason.
 * It is against the law to attack a captain. To do so is treason.
 * It is against the law to commit terrorist action(s) or attempt overthrow of the balance of Soul Society. To do so is treason.
 * It is against the law to commit murder.
 * It is against the law to kill a Human that a Shinigami has not been ordered to kill.
 * It is forbidden for a Shinigami to acquire or attempt to gain Hollow-like powers.
 * It is by ancient law that two Shinigami cannot hold the same Zanpakutō. They must fight for the honor of bearing the spirit, with the spirit going to the winner, and the loser being executed.
 * It is against the law for the Gotei 13 to meddle in the affairs of the noble families unless the family in question breaks one of the laws of Soul Society beyond a shadow of a doubt.
 * It is a crime for a Shinigami to remain in the Human World longer than a certain time limit.

Known rulings

 * Tessai Tsukabishi was tried for the use of forbidden Kidō. He was sentenced to be imprisoned in the third level of the underground prison, Shugo.
 * Kisuke Urahara was tried for the crimes of conducting forbidden experiments, deceiving his colleagues and causing grievous injury. He was sentenced to be stripped of his powers and eternally banished to the Human world.
 * Shinji Hirako and the other Visored were to be dealt with as Hollows, since they have acquired Hollow powers, albeit unwillingly.
 * Rukia Kuchiki was tried in her absence for over staying the time limit in the Human world and for transferring her powers to a Human. She was sentenced to death by Sōkyoku. It was later revealed that the entire proceeding, starting with the order for her arrest, was orchestrated by Aizen.
 * Sōsuke Aizen was tried for the crime of high treason, as well as a long list of other crimes. He was sentenced to 18,800 years in the 8th and lowest level of the underground prison, Avici. Because of his outburst, his sentence was aggravated to 20,000 years.

Other Rulings
 * Detention in the Nest of Maggots is a punishment less known among the citizens of Soul Society and even the ranks of Shinigami. It is commonly reserved for high-level Shinigami who have either broken the law, quit the Gotei 13 or were otherwise deemed dangerous and mentally unstable (as per the government's interpretation). One well known inmate of the Nest of Maggots was Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The sentence is carried out by the detention unit of the Onmitsukidō, formerly headed by Kisuke Urahara.
 * Spirit-sealing pit: The spirit-sealing pit is an ancient form of execution in which Shinigami criminals are thrown into a pit walled with sekki sekki rock – a type of stone that absorbs spiritual power, preventing those nearby from using their powers. Hollows are then thrown into the pit with the criminals as the means of execution. The practice was considered too barbaric and was discontinued. The pits themselves were converted into garbage dumps.