Page 117 - Records of Bahrain (5) (i)_Neat

Baharnah agitation for reform, 1935 105

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6. With regard to A. There are four Bahrain Courts,(ao
opposed to tho Agency ones), the equivalent of Bmall Cauee and
Sessions, ana a Court of Appeal which consists of the Shaikh
himself, and tho Shara' (or Ecclesiastical) Court. There is
also the Majlis al Tujjarah which is a body of merchants to
whom commercial cases are referred from the secular Courts for

an opinion.

7. The Lower Court is presided over by one of the Al Khalifah
family, as is the District Court, The Baharinah complain that
this being so they do not get justice from these Courts, that in
civil cases where Baharinah and Arabs are concerned awards are
given against the former, and that in criminal cases much

severer punishments are meted out to convicted Baharinah than
to Arabs. Colonel Loch informs me that in his opinion these
complaints are not without foundation.

8. To meet these complaints in part the Shaikh for some
years past has on the Joint Court placed Mr.Belgrave as Joint
Judge and Magistrate with the Al Khalifah official, This
practice naturally has ensured the administration of Justice,

but it is in my opinion definitely undesirable, F*om the
administrative point of view Mr.Belgrave has quite as much as
he can do in attending to the financial affairs of the State,
as well as commanding the Police which ho already does in
addition to his othor duties, and his valuable time should

not be wasted in trying court cases. W*om the political
point of view it is undesirable that we should be associated
in public opinion with a measure of interference in, and
responsibility for, Bahrain internal affairs, as is implied
by there being a British official(oven though nut in our
sorvico) as Judge, It is not our business in Bahrain to
administer justice fox' the Bahrain Government, but to induce
and /