The Civil Courts in Palamu's Daltonganj were caught unawares on Monday when a girl who is a rape victim consumed some powder in the court room of the Principal District and Sessions judge V K Sahay. The incident has posed serious questions about the security and behaviour of the accused, complainant and litigant in the court premise and in the court room as well. Many of the court rooms of this civil courts are wanting in effective room management.
The Pioneer spoke to the Principal District and Sessions Judge V K Sahay on issues related to security. Here are the excerpts of the conversation with Sahay held in piecemeal spanning over three days time.
Is court a public place where you cannot stop people coming over thereIJ
Yes. Very much. Courts are a public place. It is just not possible to stop anyone coming over here.
The police stations too are a public places but if one goes there the visitor is put to a barrage of questions like name, address, purpose etc before the visitor reaches the Station In-charge. Here in the court there is no questioning at all.
Very true. None is questioned here. There is no identity search nor purpose asked.
Palamu is a left wing extremist hit district and the civil courts are loaded with numerous extremist cases where under trail extremists come to the courts here from jail and their sympathisers and supporters in disguise also lurk around then. Does this not pose any problemIJ
The civil courts here have numerous extremist cases you have rightly pointed out and under trial extremists do come for court appearances. With them must be coming people who keep sympathy for them. So far there has not been any untoward incident here in the premise.
Will you disallow persons not to sit in the court room who are not in any way related to the caseIJ
Yes. I am thinking on this line. Those who have no business with any case should not occupy space in the court room. No peeping in will be allowed.
What was your first reaction when you saw the rape victim has consumed the powderIJ
I felt for her life and immediately got her rushed to the hospital with my body gard and put my registrar Debasis Mahapatra on the task to mintor her medical treatment.
In the past few years PDJ and other judges have been rubbing shoulders with commoners in remote places for programmes like legal awareness camps or for opening of free legal aid clinics making themselves more vulnerableIJ
No. We reach out to the commoners to assure them and motivate them to settle their disputes amicably without knocking at the door of the court as it will entail them much of their time and money. We understand that people can solve their own disputes of not a very serious nature as they have only to build up an attitude of compromise and reconciliation.