Page 312 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

632 Records of Bahrain

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been mude. I' know that this is true, It has
however boon the polioy of this government to
encourage the members of the Ruling family to

tuko an interest in public affairs by appointing
them to positions of responsibility such ns raagis-
trates on their courts. The degrees of ability
of the various Shaikhs depend not on their education,
because almost without exception they are uneducated,
but on the amount of commonsense whioh they possess
and on their ability to resist outside influence.

In this respect I would refer to a note written by
the Political Agent of whioh I have a oopy, No. C/656
of 14th September 1937. faxs-Jv'
7. The chief fault of the lower Bahrain Court

is that the magistrates try to avoid the responsi­
ble!
bility of giving judgments by transferring any many
as possible of the oases to the Majlis Tajara and the
Shore oourts. The oases whioh they deal with are
badly reoorded and without considered judgments. This
oourt deals almost entirely with civil oases. There

is however the right of appeal from judgments in the
lower oourt to the court immediately above it, but
appeals are infrequent.
8. The Bahrain Court is the highest of the
Bahrain courts, it deals with civil and criminal
cases including oapital offences and oivil claims whioh

have often amounted to lakhs of rupees in one case.
From my experience on this court I oan state that many
of the oases are very complicated and difficult to
dooide and for competent handling of cases it is essen­
tial thut the magistrates should have some legal train-
ing. Tho court has to deal with a groat vuriety of