The clout of court clerks
When the word corruption in the judiciary is discussed, it often revolves around judges or lawyers. The lucky section which causes considerable irritation to litigants but manages to escape unnamed is the clerical cadre based in various courts.
One of our respondents, a Bangalore based advocate shared with us the frustration of being forced to pay “coffee money” on a regular basis to the clerks to get their work done. Unless lunch or coffee is provided for the clerks by the advocates, the clerks refuse to move their files to the judges. (http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/corruption-judiciary)
Clerks at every step of the process have to be paid anywhere between Rs.50 to Rs.500 to merely ensure that the case reaches the courtroom. A few other respondents spread across the country wrote to us about the rage they felt to be at the beck and call of these clerks to move their case files. That being said, the flip side of this matter is the fact that these clerks take money to postpone cases or “accidentally” misplace files to help those accused escape court hearings.
It is ironic that the “houses of law” themselves are flooded with corrupt individuals who ensure the process of justice becomes a lengthy, frustrating one.
(By Surabhi.C & Sharanya.G)