My First visit to Tis Hazari District Court

Visiting the court for the first time

Due to our busy schedules, my friend and I were going to try to make it to the court, but we never had time. We had the opportunity to visit the court today because our classes were canceled. Since it was the most suitable option, we took the metro from our college.

After reaching the place but before evening entering the first frisk checkpoint, we encountered a Tout (kind of a broker for advocates) who said "Kahan jana hai?" (Where do you want to go?). I didn't know who he was but my friend told me, there are a lot of people like him who will ask the same question. At the second checkpoint also, there was another man asking the same.

We entered the premises after a quick frisk check, and it was busy inside. We simply roamed the area for a while. The court proceedings were happening in small rooms adjoining to the chambers of those Judges who were presiding over the cases. My friend then asked for permission from the court martial to let us sit and watch the proceedings. It was a shock at first when we both heard him suddenly calling out the names of the parties to the case, in a loud voice saying "State versus... <name of the respondent>" but we were grateful that he allowed us to sit and watch the proceedings.

The Additional Session Judge was hearing the appeal and it was a criminal case and unfortunately a rape case. In that case, even after the trial was started and charges have framed the clothes of the prosecutrix (the victim) were not even sent to the medical branch for a DNA test and FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report was not made. It was pronounced by the honorable Judge that there was a serious lapse on the part of the IO (Investigating officer) and copies of the order were sent to the DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police) and SHO (Station House Officer) to fix liability on the IO. The forensic branch was given time to give the report.

After that, we went to see some other courtrooms. We then sat in a consumer court. We were a little surprised to see how 2-3 cases at once were being heard. We also saw most of the pleaders before the court were just asking for Passover (postponement of the case) and one of them was asking for the fifth time. I thought that the consumer court will not have anything special to see and learn from but I was wrong as the last case we saw was brilliantly put forward before the Judge by an advocate who was taking the case of a Leasee (tenant) who was ordered by his Leasor (the bank) to surrender 2nd and 1st floor of the building and keep using the ground floor and the basement. In the original agreement, all the floors were given as one by the bank which they now are ending in half. The advocate appearing for the Leasee argued that in agreements like these, it is mostly the banks who draft the agreement/clauses and the consumer/leasee has no way to alter it. The Judge immediately said, "But you sign it" (meaning you consent to it). The advocate replied we do sign it but there is no freedom to alter the clauses which the bank themselves draft, having the advantage to interpret their meaning where the other party has nothing to say. The honorable Judge smiled and looked at the opponent advocate to see if he could present his case in the manner that the former did. In the end, the opponent said something which was not audible to us and due to our classes, we have to leave.

In this wonderful experience, I learned many things (1) The reel-life courtroom is nowhere near the real-life courtrooms. The Judges themselves understand the cases beforehand better than the counsels on any side (the pleaders) and the councels hardly get any opportunity to say anything other than prayers (what the party actually wants from the court - conclusion of the arguments) (2) Screaming in courts is absolutely negligible (unless the Judge is not happy with the dealing of the case or there is some stupidity or ignorance) and the mentality that you need to scream to get your argument heard is a lie. (3) No stories and emotions come into play in the courtrooms. To-the-point arguments and replies are attended and nothing else. (4) Online image on famous apps that exaggerates how big a thing it is to be in litigation which requires a fat CV to enter the field is also a lie. Big lawyers that I saw are still doing their work offline and it is their work that says it all and not the exaggerations on social media sites that nowadays a lot of young lawyers have started doing.

Thank you so much.