Page 237 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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The Senior Courts disposed of g.j.f eases as well as most of the pending cases from the previous
year. At the end of 1369 there were 168 eases outstanding.

Court fees amounted to Rs. 3.1,200 and fines collected amounted to Rs. 2,900.
In the Small Courts there were 1,591 new cases and 658 executions of decrees or orders. The
courts disposed of 1,620 cases including some pending from the previous year, at the end of the year 463
cases were still unsettled.

The Shia and Sunni Shara Courts received 370 eases and disposed of 271 eases. Only 11 eases
were referred to the Shia Appeal Qadi; a Sunni Appeal Qadi has not yet been appointed although
this is a post which urgently needs creating. Disscnlions between the Qadis in the Sunni Court are
not infrequent. The Majlis Tijara and Diving Court was referred to in the ease of 58 suits.
The Senior Appeal Court received 27 appeals and disposed of 15 appeals.
A proclamation of some importance was issued towards the end of the year forbidding persons
who owned only one living house from mortgaging their house. This action was taken to prevent small
men, owning nothing except the house in which they and their family lived, from borrowing money
on the security of the house, at exorbitant rates of interest from local money lenders who foreclosed
on the property and evicted their families. For many years the mortgaging of living houses for diving
transactions has been forbidden, the new order extends the veto on mortgaging a living house for any
purpose whatever.
The need for the Government to consider introducing compulsory Third Party Insurance in
Bahrain is a matter which has come to the notice of the Courts during the last year or two. Frequent
instances have occurred when the driver of a vehicle has either killed or seriously damaged a person
but the court has been satisfied that the driver was not blameworthy. In such eases no compensation
is ordered by the Court. In other eases a driver has been ordered to pay compensation but being
without means he is unable to do so. The fact that the driver is punished by imprisonment is no
consolation to the victim. If Third Party Insurance was compulsory in Bahrain every victim of an
accident would receive compensation.
During the year numbers of people of foreign origin applied for Bahrain passports claiming to
have been bom in Bahrain. Such claims were referred to the Bahrain Courts for verification. In
most cases the applications were of Persian origin.

POLICE AND PUBLIC SECURITY
(From the report of Shaikh Khalifah bin Muhammad Al-Khalifah, Superintendent of Police).
Strength.—The strength of the State Police and armed naturs at the end of the year was as
follows:—
Arab Officers 8
N.C.Os. and men 286
Followers, boat-crews .. 44
Naturs 236
Animals:—
Horses .. 38 (during the year 6 foals were received from His Highness).
Camels .. .. 17
In 1369, 32 recruits were enlisted in the State Police, 18 men were granted their discharge and
7 men were dismissed. The recruits who presented themselves for enlistment were not of a particularly
good type and a large proportion of them were foreigners. In spite of the higher rate of pay which
came into force at the beginning of 1368 and a Provident Fund which was started at the same time