Telangana magistrate delivers justice on road for elderly couple who couldn't enter court

In a compassionate gesture, a magistrate in Bodhan town of Nizamabad district in Telangana on Monday came out on to the street to deliver his judgment in a case involving an elderly couple who were unable to enter the court premises due to their frail health..Though also a grim reminder of the poor judicial infrastructure in India, Additional Junior Civil Judge Essampelli Sai Shiva has received praise on social media for his exceptional act. The couple had reached the court in a rickshaw. A photograph of the hearing published by The New Indian Express on April 30 shows the judge signing the judgment on the road outside the court premises, with the elderly man seated inside the rickshaw and the woman with folded hands standing before the judge..The court records reviewed by Bar & Bench revealed that the couple Kantapu Sayamma and Kantapu Nadpi Gangaram were booked in 2021 in a case of matrimonial cruelty by Telangana Police under Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code.They were charge-sheeted in December 2021, leading to a trial in the court complex at Bodhan. After about 30 hearings, the matter was finally reserved for decision on April 22. A month earlier, the court was informed that the couple had met with an accident and were unable to walk. Considering the condition of the couple, the judge on April 30 appeared before them in person to deliver justice. The case filed against the elderly couple by their daughter-in-law was found to be false.“Accused No.1 and 2 found not guilty for the offence punishable under section 498A of IPC,” the court ordered, while acquitting them of the charge of cruelty..According to news reports, judge Shiva studied law at Mahatma Gandhi Law College, Hyderabad and qualified the civil judge exam in 2023. In an interview given to Telangana Today on his success in the judicial exam, he had said,“Since childhood, I have been inclined to legal matters. I chose the role of judge to be in the middle of a victim and accused person. I am determined to speedily dispose of cases, besides ensuring justice to victims. I am excited to take the position of a judge of a court.”