LSC is on air

Most Radio Indigo listeners will remember September 2007 as a month during which they woke up to rain and traffic jams every single morning. Every morning? Not really. Not if you count Friday the14^th. Because that was the day the Legal Services Clinic was interviewed by Cindu on the very popular breakfast show. As I sat listening, starting 9 O’clock, in Munnabhai style, four LSC addicts – Convener (PB), Honorary lifetime convenor (AG), PR manager (GR) and Legal Adviser (VNM), set the airwaves abuzz as they discussed LSC activities and their experiences with LSC. They told the people how they were surprised by the low levels of legal awareness even among the IT crowd. They told the viewers about the interesting experiences they had in the course of LSC duty. One interesting section was when they told the viewers how to file an FIR.

Thalaivi then delivered the dialogue of the day when she said how she likes LSC because law in the abstract does not appeal to her but associating law with real people to whom it makes a difference and brings about a positive change in their lives makes her happy.

- Vikram

How often do you get to sit on siezed property?

The LSC team, in this case consisting of the Thalaivi and the token diga, went to Sriram Upahar and had a meal fit for a king. This was the first time I had hoLige in a hotel. If it was any other day that would have been the high point of the day, but today was not to be everyday.

I shall leave the funky writing to the thalaivi, and write as a good automaton should. As part of a project to review the working and administration of trial courts, we were to collect data from the city civil court in Bangalore.Monday being a holiday for NLS, we utilised the opportunity to visit the court and get a general overview of the project.

We first went to the Registrar, who was very helpful and had already known that the students from NLS would be visiting.He first took us to the receiving section of the new cases, which was way better than I had expected.

With regards OS suits, one may file a plaint in the relevant counter and pay the requisite court fee. Depending on the prayer, the nature of the suit is determined, whether it is an injunction etc. And depending upon the valuation of the suit, the fee is determined. As soon as it is filed, it is given a Filing Register (FR) number. This is the unexpectedly brilliant aspect of this court according to me - The case goes to court on the same day the plaint is received in the receiving office provided the plaint is filed before 1:00 PM. Plaints filed after 1:00 PM will go for the hearing the very next day.

That was the unbelievable part. I was in dream mode through lunch and through the initial stage of the walk through of the chief metropolitan magistrates court, till one of the assistants there finally said “we had an enquiry section; we closed it down due to staff shortage”. Then going through the run down property section (how often are you offered seized property to sit on?) and just before that, going through pending section of courts, separated from the actual court hall by cupboards, fodder for our study was sitting right there.

I have taken out many evil parts of this entry. Interested parties can contact me for the uncensored version.

Walking through these places I felt the thrill of seeing something most normal people don’t get to see. Looking forward to a big project and tonnes of fun in these very courts, I send this to Thalaivi who will post it on the blog.

-Vikram

Yel Yel P

Its one and a half months into the new academic year and I thought it was time to look back a little. I still remember that day in my first year-the famous law school "SBA Orientation". They all came, one after another and said why their committee was the coolest place to be in. The LSC team also came- I listened and said to myself "that seems like a nice place to be". I have never since regretted the decision made that day. And for the past two years, have been racking my brains to see how to portray LSC as an activity which all first years will want to try doing atleast once. I think we have done reasonably well- if the 1st year turn out for our trips and LLPs are any indication, we certainly have. I hope some of them are here to stay...through a good part of their law school life.

Its interesting to note how I see my role within LSC changing every year. From being awe struck at how those seniors played the battered wife and the 10th std. girl roles so well, it has come to telling a bunch of curious and amused 1st years how they are supposed to be over dramatic and cut their hands and apply the tilak and then explain how thats not a valid way of getting married. They all look amused and doubtful as to how this silly skit would work. But when they actually see the audience reacting to it and enjoying it and making a difference , all of them are happy. And how many ever times I explain the law, use the same old examples again and again- each LLP seems to have its own distinct character with the only common thread being that it makes your day and has the ability to pull you out of the dumps- however deep the dump might be. And today was no exception to the rule :)

Khulali.