The Brave Pedestrian

Quite often, people feel guilty and try to explain why they want a particular piece of information. Some people write a covering letter for their RTI application explaining their grievances and how getting the information will help them. Others explain that they are collecting information for their doctoral thesis or newspaper article. Still others try to impress the PIO by writing that they are relatives of a Member of Parliament, or the president of some association or trade union. All that is unnecessary. Section 6(2) clearly says: An applicant making request for information shall not be required to give any reason or any other personal details except those that necessary for contacting him. So, whether you are drafting your RTI application, speaking to a PIO or any Appellate Authority, remember: you need not disclose the purpose for which you want the information, or any additional details about yourself. Your name and contract details is all that anybod...

Judges focus on procedural issues, and give only a passing glance at the Fundamental Rights of citizens. The plaints and grievances for which justice-seekers want redressal are totally ignored. Rich and powerful people are better able to overcome procedural hurdles with money power, and so they have a chance to succeed. But the ordinary citizens of India are usually stonewalled by procedural matters, and so they have no hope of getting justice from courts. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

People get the judiciary that they deserve. After Independence, we have acted as SUBJECTS of judges, and so we have a colonial sort of judiciary. Judges are surrounded by people who bow and scrape and abjectly beg; what else can you expect from them but tyrannical behavour? Now, to change this existing reality, we have to start facing them as CITIZENS, and make them aware that they are public servants. As this sort of behaviour builds up around them, they will be forced to ch ange their behaviour and thinking. The change may happen gradually, over some years. In the meantime, we can expect scenes like the one shown in this cartoon  smile emoticon Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

The hypocrisy & secretiveness in judges' appointments and internal functioning of courts is widely known. It is frequently acknowledged even by judiciary's insiders. Why are We The People keeping quiet about this? Do we really believe that a non-transparent and non-democratic judiciary will give justice to us? It is time we stopped acting like SUBJECTS of the Imperial crown, and started acting like CITIZENS of free India. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

Judges focus on procedural issues, and give only a passing glance at the Fundamental Rights of citizens. The plaints and grievances for which justice-seekers want redressal are totally ignored. Rich and powerful people are better able to overcome procedural hurdles with money power, and so they have a chance to succeed. But the ordinary citizens of India are usually stonewalled by procedural matters, and so they fail to get effective redressal. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

Judiciary drags out cases for decades. Perpetrators, victims and witnesses age, property values multiply, the social, economic and political scenario changes beyond recognition. The judgment -- when it comes -- is not only irrelevant, but also a cruel mockery of all the parties. A delayed judgment does not have a curative or corrective influence on society or individuals. It only inflicts further injury to a wound that time has already healed. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

So far, judicial reform has been discussed in gentle voices by jurists, to no avail. So it is necessary and urgent that the common man speak his mind about judicial reform, and not necessarily in gentle tones. Because, the bottomline is, judiciary exists to serve the common man, and he is NOT being served! Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

People get the government that they deserve. Similarly, they get the judiciary that they deserve. So far, after Independence, we have acted as SUBJECTS of colonial masters when face-to-face with judges. And so we got a colonial sort of judiciary... because judges, like any other human being, usually go by the expectations of people surrounding them. Judges are surrounded by people who bow and scrape and abjectly beg; so what else can you expect from them but tyrannical behavo ur? Now, to change this existing reality, we have to start facing them as CITIZENS, and make them aware that they are public servants. As this sort of behaviour builds up around them, they will be forced to change their behaviour and thinking. The change may happen gradually, over some years. And in the meantime, we can expect scenes like the one shown in this cartoon  smile emoticon Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

The judiciary as an institution is only as good as its judges... and judges, being human, can easily be offered temptations by government. Judges nearing retirement age hear PILs against government, knowing that after retiring, they may be given lucrative & prestigious jobs by government. So they openly favour government and politicians, and frown at public interest litigants and activist citizens. Judicial independence can exist under ideal conditions... but conditions in India are far from ideal. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

Remember: Many litigants seeking remedies in court for HEADACHES, develop HEART ACHES after going to court, thanks to their lawyers. Many lawyers take on scores (or even hundreds) of cases, charge a chunk of money upfront, take the original documents, put the matter in court... and then completely lose interest. Then they start taking tareekh pe tareekh to suit their own busy timetable, or alternatively, fail to turn up in court. Some enter into needless or wrong procedures, and misinform the client about the case status. And some turn up in court and accept consent terms that are completely not in favour of the client. Or they keep quiet at critical junctures and lose the case. Many small and cheap lawyers behave like this. But reputed lawyers and senior counsels are also no exception; in fact, they are well-known for this. Many reputed lawyers speak rudely to the clients from the very start of their relationship! Nevertheless, they have a steady flow of bu...

“Go to court” is nowadays a challenge and a taunt from wrongdoers, both in civil society and in the administration. They know how difficult, how frustrating and how fruitless litigation generally is... and this makes them confident to flout the law. Contracts and agreements are not worth the paper they are written on; for a common man, they are unenforceable. It’s like saying, “Go to hell". Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

Successful lawyers usually have many more cases than they can handle. So they behave callously and unprofessionally. If you are unlucky enough to get stuck with one, your lawyer can easily become your biggest nightmare – far bigger than the original “cause of action” for which you went to court. Sadly, there is no realistic remedy against profiteering lawyers. In fact, some lawyers with the strongest reputations are the worst offenders. Complaint to the bar council or bar associations are rarely effective. A big chunk of Indian judiciary's backlogs is caused by lawyers who take cunningly take multiple adjournments, multiply litigations and complicate matters in order to maximize profits. Because of them, the court's valuable time is lost in hearing needless matters, and the whole nation suffers from loss of justice. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share