Central 46 (Kenji Hiroshi)

The Central 46 (中央四十六, Chūō Shijūroku) is an organization that serves as the judiciary authority of the. Operating under a mandate from the, the influence Central 46 has 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 and women are in charge of trying all crimes, whether they were committed in Soul Society or the. 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. Upon their deaths at the hands of, took over their normal duties. Some time later, the Central 46 is reassembled and is shown performing its judiciary duties. Amongst the judges was Sōritsu Kuchiki.

Residence
The residencial district of the Central 46 is an enclave in called Seijōtōkyorin (清浄塔居林, Tranquil Forest of Residential Towers) inside the. 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. Each of the Central 46 has a plaque with a number on it obscuring his or her 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, be 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 s.
 * 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 . To do so is treason. (De-funked)
 * 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

 *  was tried for the use of forbidden Kidō. He was sentenced to be imprisoned in the third level of the underground prison called Shugo.
 *  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.
 *  and the other were to be dealt with as s, since they have acquired Hollow powers, albeit unwillingly.
 *  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 . It was later revealed that the entire proceeding, starting with the order for her arrest, was orchestrated by Sōsuke Aizen.
 *  was tried for her pivotal role in the creation of the, and was subsequently stripped of her powers and exiled from  after aiding the Bounts' escape into the.
 *  was tried for injuring a Shinigami during a fight with a Hollow.
 *  was denied by Central 46 to do any investigation on the Kasumiōji Clan Compound.
 *  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 called Muken. Because of his outburst, his sentence was aggravated to 20,000 years.
 * Kenji Hiroshi, Kusaka Kori and Kazuma Nishiki where tried in their absence for staying in the Human World for a prolonged period of time. They where officially banished from the Soul Society and made to life as exiles.
 * Kenji Hiroshi was tried in his absence for illegally gaining Hollow-like powers against his will. A kill-on-sight order was issued but later rescinded on plea from Tadashi Kori after Kenji lost said powers.
 * Shigeru Yūdai was tried for illegally gaining Hollow-like powers and sentenced to execution the following morning. He broke out and fought against Captains Tadashi Kori and Shin Nagakura. He was then tried in his absence for treason, and later for joining the criminal organization known as the Imawashī.
 * Kentaro Hiroshi was tried as an infant for being born with Hollow-like powers, with an unknown outcome.
 * Kentaro Hiroshi (by association) and his friends where tried in their absence for treason, invading the Seireitei, committing murder and disturbing the balance of Soul Society.

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 . 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 – 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.