Page 386 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (II)_Neat

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Shara Courts. Shaikh Abdullatif bin Mahmood, one of the Sunni Qadis, of the Shaft sect,
retired owing to ill health and was granted a pension by the State. In his place Shaikh Mohomed
Saleh bin Abdullatif was appointed Qadi. The new Qadi has a more liberal outlook than his fellow
judges and in addition to his knowledge of the Shara he has the advantages of being a man with a
little general education. He was at one time the headmaster of a school founded by the well-known
pearl merchant Shaikh Mohomed Ali Zainal. Shaikh Mohomed Saleh is of Iranian origin and is a
relation-in-law of his Highness the Ruler.
The court dealt with 186 eases but only 40 cases were disposed of during the year. There is
general complaint at the slowness of the Sunni Shara Court and as the cases are received in the first
place and then passed on to the Shara the Bahrain Court is frequently blamed for the delay. The
appointment of a Sunni Appeal Qadi is under consideration. None of the local Aalims are competent
and it is difficult to find a capable and suitable person to whom this work can be entrusted.
The Shia Shara Court dealt with fewer eases than the Sunni Court but out of 63 cases only 13
were pending at the end of the year. The presence of a Shia Appeal Qadi seems to expedite the
work of this court.
Majlis Tijara. This committee meets once a week in order to examine and report on the
cases relating to diving or commerce which are referred to it by other courts. Most of the cases
which it deals with are sent to it from the Agency or Joint courts. During the year 58 cases were
referred to the Majlis from Bahrain courts, most of them coming from the Small Court, of these 41
cases were settled. The Majlis frequently obtains a settlement by compromise. From the point
of view of the Bahrain Courts the work of the Majlis is satisfactory. The members are unpaid but
the President, one of the Ruling Family, receives a salary.
Appeal Courts. Six appeals from the Shia Shara Court were disposed of by the
Appeal Qadi.
The Senior Appeal Court, consisting of Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa Alkhalifah, Shaikh Salman
bin Hamad Alkhalifah and the Adviser to the Bahrain Government, heard 20 cases from the Bahrain
Court and the Sunni Shara Court of which 16 cases were disposed of. The lack of a Sunni Appeal
judge makes the work of this court very difficult when it has to examine cases from the Shara Court.
In one important case reference was made to Al-Azhar in Cairo for a ruling which, at the end of the
year, had not yet been received.
In criminal cases, which are comparatively few, the Bahrain Court is guided by the Sudan
Penal Code. This code, although it has not been officially adopted, is constantly referred to by the
magistrates and also by the police. This arrangement appears to be working satisfactorily.

MANAMAH MUNICIPALITY.
The municipal revenue during 1360 was Rs. 1,07,479 and the expenditure was Rs. 92,584.
The revenue included the government grant of Rs. 24,000 and receipts from house and shop taxes,
licenses and other sources.
Several new roads were opened during the year including one on south-west side of Manamah
from the Manamah-Rafa'a road down to the government hospital. Seventy-eight houses were removed
to make this road which is 40 feet wide and 2,000 feet long. Part of the ground crossed by the road
was low lying and liable to become flooded, the road and the open ground adjacent to it has been raised
and this area has been much improved.
Many of the town roads including the Manamah-Rafa’a road as far as the municipal boundary
were surfaced with a mixture of sand and crude oil which has been found lasting and effective, The
cost of this work consists of the transport of the oil from the refinery, where it is available without
payment and the labour necessary for mixing and laying it.
Good progress was made in reclaiming the swamp on the south of the town behind the Arabian
Mission. All this ground is now free of water. In the future it can be utilised for building sites for
expansion of Manamah town.