Alps thorugh a window
An Arial View of Alps after taking off from ZurichThursday 8 January 2009
Madman’s Court :)
We were witnessing a procession on Thane (a suburb in Bombay) Railway Station. The whole group must have been around 40-50 people of varying age groups including children to old folks. All of them were surrounded by a rope with four or more policemen holding them and one providing directions. The group flow could be compared to a bunch of randomly oriented capsules flowing through a shapeless pipe in a turbulent manner. This was unprecedented for me as I had not seen anything alike before. I have been away from Bombay for almost a decade now and I am bound to witness new things that generate more curiosity. Upon enquiry I was informed that these were the accused caught crossing the railway lines, a seamless and mostly harmless crime committed by millions all over India everyday. I was also informed that these accused will have to appear in front of what is popularly called Vedyache Court – Madman’s Court. Baptized name generates more curiosity and probably these are the reasons why this court is called a Madman’s Court.
I was informed that there is no fixed time when these courts are held. Magistrate can probably decide when to held a session or take a break. An interesting characteristic of Madman’s court is that fine of the crime is not fixed but escalates after every attempt of defense by the accused. So, it’s wise for the accused to stay calm, pay the fine suggested by the Magistrate and walk out…other things can be tried at one's own peril. Moreover, a bribe to a policemen is fruitless in this case and you are bound to lose at least half if not the entire business day. Bribe, a usual bane acts as boon in many in India. You can possibly escape the scene bribing a policeman or in charge authority for a paltry sum of INR 100 equivalent to ~2 EUR. But when it comes to appearance in front of Madman’s court, I was informed all such tricks fail...what a pain.
From Fund raising point of view it would be interesting if government ensures more policing along the railway lines and creates many more madman’s courts all over the country. I am sure there will be plenty of evaders contributing to the kitty everyday. It has a potential to generate a lot of revenue, may be competing with income tax to start with :) What you say?
I was informed that there is no fixed time when these courts are held. Magistrate can probably decide when to held a session or take a break. An interesting characteristic of Madman’s court is that fine of the crime is not fixed but escalates after every attempt of defense by the accused. So, it’s wise for the accused to stay calm, pay the fine suggested by the Magistrate and walk out…other things can be tried at one's own peril. Moreover, a bribe to a policemen is fruitless in this case and you are bound to lose at least half if not the entire business day. Bribe, a usual bane acts as boon in many in India. You can possibly escape the scene bribing a policeman or in charge authority for a paltry sum of INR 100 equivalent to ~2 EUR. But when it comes to appearance in front of Madman’s court, I was informed all such tricks fail...what a pain.
From Fund raising point of view it would be interesting if government ensures more policing along the railway lines and creates many more madman’s courts all over the country. I am sure there will be plenty of evaders contributing to the kitty everyday. It has a potential to generate a lot of revenue, may be competing with income tax to start with :) What you say?
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