No amenities: Wait for justice is harder here

HYDERABAD: Thousands of people gather at court complexes across the State everyday in the hope of legal recourse. While the high rate of pendency of cases is old news, what makes matters worse for public is the lack of proper infrastructure and amenities. Take the case of Godavari Shrivastav, an elderly woman from the Old City, who decided to file a cheating case against a local pawn broker for charging her an exorbitant interest rate for the past eight years. She has been visiting the Special Magistrate Court Complex in Erramanzil Main Road for the last six months. The visits have been nothing but taxing. 

“I have joint pains, and every single time I come here I have to climb two floors,” says Godavari. “Public are not allowed to use the only functional elevator at the court complex. I was lucky to be able to find a seat today. Usually, I end up standing in a long line.” Godavari was seated on a two-seater chair outside the courtroom. Most of the furniture, placed along the gutka-stained walls, are broken and unusable. Filth and waste can be seen piling up at corners. There’s no drinking water provided for public. Toilets aren’t clean either. “You cannot ignore the stench coming from the toilet while waiting here. Who do we complain to?”    
Around 75 to 100 cases are taken up on a given day at the special magistrate courts in the three-floor complex.  “On some days around 1,000 come to the court. Some days it’s less than that,” said an advocate.   
The parking space in the court, however, can accommodate only about 100 vehicles and most of it is taken up by advocates and judges. The only lift in the three-floor building also is exclusively for the use of judges, claimed public, though officials denied it. The court complex, overall, being accessible for persons with disabilities and the elderly is out of question. The security also seems to be lax as surveillance systems placed at the entrance are not functional. 

While a few of the 18 special magistrate courts in the complex have been shifted to the Nampally Criminal Court premises, others left behind are hoping to move there soon. “A new space is getting ready there. However, we are yet to get official confirmation,” said an employee.