Yash Bagra, a law student from Nirma University had the shock of his life when he went to intern at Tis Hazari – Old Delhi’s infamous district court. He writes about his experience in this post, over to him.
Tis Hazari
When I began my BA.LLB journey, I was not sure that on which road or field I have to build my career. Determining what I was supposed to do seem like a mammoth task. The only thing I was sure about was that I have to do something different in life but was not confirmed what`s that different thing going to be. This internship opportunity was very important in giving me an introduction to an entirely fresh learning experience and also in helping me anticipate my future prospects.
It is said that the thing which starts with a bang it also ends with a bang. The very first day of my internship was a kind of day which I can never forget in my whole life because it defaced all my misconceptions towards the Indian litigation process. I had very high regards for the Indian litigation process before that day in face of it being very smooth, without any flaws and had a very glossy looking picture in my mind, but it is said that what you think or believe is not always true especially in the practical world. The condition of the court was like a Fish market where you have to keep every step of yours very carefully. Tis Hazari Court has one of the highest practicing lawyers under its roof and plus one of the most crowded court of our country which is also now a bit relieved by opening of new District and sessions court in various other sectors of New Delhi. A lawyer`s work out there is not so easy as shown in various Bollywood movies (but “tareeqh p tareeqh p tareeqh” fits here very aptly). It is pretty difficult for a new budding lawyer to earn his/her living on his/her own out there. She/he has to practice under someone for few years to create his position among the well-established lawyers where he is right now only a small fish in a very big ocean.
Learning Outcomes
District and session court is the place where every law student must intern in his initial years although these days student choose not to intern as they consider interning at a trial court to be below par as per their knowledge level, but I believe that interning at a trial court is very much necessary to learn the procedures of law from a basic level.
During my internship I was supposed to read and analyze the cases on an advance basis as I have to brief all the issues and facts of the cases to Sir under whom I was interning before we move to the court for the proceeding of our case. He used to ask me certain questions that what will you argue in a certain situation depending upon the facts only and then after my reply he used to argue against me and used to tell me what way I can make my argument look better and convincing in front of a judge. He also used to scold me whenever I was not prepared with facts or issues of the case and as a punishment he used to give me a situation on which I have to prepare a memorial. In starting I find all these tasks to be very burdensome but gradually when I was able to see a positive change in myself I started liking it and started working much harder to complete any task given to me.
It is not that what you expect is what you get all the time. It so happened to me that one day I was asked to bring dates for certain cases and that too without any genuine reason, one moment I thought to ask Sir that Sir everything is fine, client is there you are there – then why are you not going for the proceeding of the concerned case but the very next moment I thought that it will be not so prudent on my part to ask such a question to a lawyer of his caliber, but the thing which has to be seen here is that this is the very reason of Lakhs of cases being pending in various courts throughout our country. It is the callous attitude of lawyers plus general public towards their case that a case remains pending for decades sometimes.
There is a dire need to make some reasonable changes in the Indian litigation process which can makes it a bit faster in delivering justice to the needy, which can right now be done by the young minds coming to this profession but it is prudent to note that it is a herculean task to achieve but still not utopian.
