This has been a long arduous lonely journey. I reserve my vote of thanks to the strangers I met along the way. Strangers who have no personal connection to my life. Yet who through their kindness, their integrity impacted on mine in ways that are immeasurable.
Before I started on this journey I reached out to so many people asking for help. What they left me with was deep shame. As in my life, my pain, the injustice meted out to us did not matter an iota. And through this very painful journey strangers walked in. Most of them remain un-named. But I have images of them etched in my memory. Coupled with their kindness.
If you see yourself here I just want to say thank you. What you did for me and my family matters in a way that I will always be in debt to your kindness, to your integrity. Know that you are rare. So rare!
My Vote of Thanks to the following Hon’ble Judges (all from the District courts)
Judge Dr.A.Gurumurthy: The Judge who discovered a 15,000 crore scam in the XIV Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Mayo Hall, Bengaluru where he was the Presiding Officer. He took action even with threats to his life. He was immediately transferred out. This scam involved big banks, court officers and lawyers filing fake cases and issuing non-bailable warrants. His singular action revealed that me and my family had been subjected to fake criminal cases for over 13 years which we are currently assailing. He has displayed courage that we have hardly seen again.
Judge S.K.Vantigodi: The first judge I appeared in front of as party-in-person. He remains one of the kindest judges I have ever met. He made appearing in person seem like a cakewalk. Which it wasn’t going to be, to my utter dismay. But he helped me sink my feet in and not walk away.
Judge Sridhar Gopalakrishna Bhat: The first judge who showed us it was possible to be just in a system that isn’t. In that there exists something called judicial conscience. His judgment gave us the confidence to start to speak.
Judge K.M.Ananda: The only judge in front of whom I experienced the liberating effect of the audi alteram partem rule. To speak and to be heard. To be given the space to argue and to speak and to defend. And he let us know that it was a safe space to do the same.
Judge B.G.Pramoda: For making his courtroom a safe space. And in being a stickler for procedure he ensured justice trickled our way. His is one of those rare courtrooms that I know I will not be attacked in. We will forever remain in debt for what he did for us when even the Supreme Court of India failed us.
Thanks to the following Court Officers (District courts)
Court Officer of the City and Sessions Court: Through the simple act of agreeing to submit some paperwork he gave me a year of survival.
Court Officers of the Principal District and Sessions Court, Bengaluru Rural District: At a time when we were being crushed by every system we knew, all the court officers of this court were sunshine. Their kindness helped us survive a horrific horrific month.
Court Officers of the Certified Copying Branch (Crl.) Sessions Court, 4th Floor: From teaching me how to make a copy application to always being open to sorting out issues – they have been the only copying branch I don’t dread walking in to.
Thanks to the Advocates’ Clerks
The advocate clerk who saw me struggle to stitch the first Writ Petition we ever filed in the High Court of Karnataka. He stepped in, took over, and stitched it to perfection. It was this singular act of kindness that has me indebted to him.
The advocate clerk who saw me and my sister struggle with figuring out how to file the process memo in the High Court of Karnataka and stepped in. The procedure to do the process memo is not publicly available anywhere. The filing office was most unhelpful. And there is no person to access for help. He saw us, asked us if we needed help and then just took over. Within minutes it was all done. I am so grateful to him.
My Vote of Thanks to the Litigants who appeared Party-in-Person
Harishankar Rastogi – for setting a precedent that allows non-advocates to represent an accused in a criminal trial. I depended on this to file an application to represent my mother and was allowed.
Major K.Mathews – for taking his contention to the Supreme Court and thereby setting a precedent for how a power of attorney holder can represent an accused in a criminal trial. I depended on this to file an application to represent my mother and was allowed.
Sarvesh Mathur – for making video conferencing accessible in the High Courts. Without this judgment litigants in persons were not being allowed by some Justices in the High Court of Karnataka to appear through video conferencing.