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Justice*. It envisages the Shaikh seated under a palm tree settling the dis
putes of his tribe. According to Arab conception, the head of the tribe is
solely responsible for the administration of justice, though he may
delegate his authority to others. Unfortunately, however, the time for
simplicity and expedition in the administration of justice has passed. As
procedure became more elaborate and courts more heavily staffed the
Three files multiplied—‘files’ has now become an Arabic word—and delays
were frequent and lengthy. In later years there was criticism of the courts
and complaints that they took too long in dealing with cases. A more
My object all sublime
I shall'achieve in rime— valid grievance was that except in the religious courts all the judges were
Sunnis, the sect to which the Khalifah family belonged. The judges were
To make the punishment fit the crime—
The punishment fit the crime. Shaikhs of the Ruling Family, without legal qualifications or degrees in
The Mikado. W. S. Gilbert. 1836-1911 law, but among them were men who had years of experience ’ in courts
and I had tried my best to show them how things should be done.
Alarum: excursions. Soon I found it impossible to spend so much time in court, so I sat
King Henry V. Shakespeare once a week with two of the Shaikhs. A court house was built, which is
still in use. The new High Court was modem in style, with panelled walls,
big windows and electric fans. I and the two Arab judges sat on red
T in the newly formed Bahrain court. I had had experience of court leather chairs on a platform, separated from the body of the court by a
he first office to which the Shaikh appointed me was that of Judge
rail. On the wall behind us hung the Bahrain coat of arms adapted from
work in Egypt and Tanganyika and had passed two Colonial Service
the Khalifah flag. Opposite the dais were wooden benches for about -
law exams. Law was a subject which interested me, perhaps because my
thirty members of the public, who used to make a rush for the seats when
father, who besides writing books was a barrister, used to tell me about
the doors were opened on Monday morning when important cases were
his cases when he came back from court. I found that there was no heard. Among the regular habitues were several ‘old lags’ who spent
written code in Bahrain so judgements had to depend on common sense much of their time in jail for petty thefts, pick-pocketing and liquor
alone. It was rough and ready justice, but it had the advantage of being offences. The court seemed to draw them like a magnet; when not in jail
speedy,
they never missed a chance of hearing their friends being tried.
I began by spending three days a week in court, sometimes not getting For some years cases had been heard in camera, but when the new
home till after three o’clock, which was very trying for Marjorie, for court was opened I suggested that as many of the public who could be
there was little for her to do in the mornings; we had no car so she could accommodated should be admitted. It took some persuasion to induce
not go out much. I sat with a minor Shaikh who was deaf, dull and my brother judges to agree to this; they were afraid that the spectators
averse to making decisions. When I asked his opinion he invariably re might interrupt the proceedings. But they behaved very well and only
plied, ‘I think the same as Your Excellency; I agree with whatever you occasionally did the policeman on duty have to cry ‘Silence in court!*
say,* which was not helpful! We used a room in the old Arab house There was often a good deal of chat between the parties and the judges if
where we first lived; it was small, dark and dusty. In spite of the punkah
the people concerned were Arabs of the older generation.
even I felt hot. Arab judges in hot weather wore diaphanous white robes The proceedings begin with coffee, which is brought in by a wizened
and looked cool and comfortable, though complaining incessantly of the little black ’dwarf who started life as one of my office boys. We all drink
heat. I was glad when the first judge retired and the Shaikh appointed in three cups and then have a look at the cases before us which are passed to
his place Shaikh Sulman, the present Ruler. us by the court clerk, who sits at the end of the table and records the
There is much to be said for what has been described as ‘Palm Tree evidence. The first case is a civil claim for about 3000 rupees (£225),
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