A normal person who has never encountered the troubles of a broken family before may not be able to understand the depth of the way our courts play us. Therefore, it is our duty as citizens of this country, to bring awareness about the hidden elements in the system followed by our family courts.
As we enter into the rusty, dirty, and confined streets of the court area, a bunch of goons pop up out of nowhere in the parking lot, or at the entrance gate, and start harassing women openly, but no one stops them, despite noticing their disgusting acts.
Then, as you enter into the hallway and step onto the stairs, you’ll either come across clerks with never-ending gazes, sellers who beg for extra cash, and husbands or wives of broken people trying to get their chances with you. The time you somehow make it to the actual courtroom, it looks like a mess with no judge, no lawyers, and no one to help you confirm your dates, comfort your terror as a victim, and no respect for another. That place is hell for some people and a bar for some others. Finally, after patiently waiting for the other party to arrive at the court when you reach the meeting area, you’ll hear loud cries of little infants, screaming exes, the reaction formation of kids towards their parents, and the over-empowering love of fathers for their kids, which never happened when they were ordinary like other happy families.
Customer-focused is not a static term, and it should stand as the number one priority in these courts. The judges, clerks, lawyers, bailiffs, and even other parties than the judiciary must be trained and groomed and reminded of their true motives in a court. If people come to the court, so should the judges come on time and be there to hear out the cases, that’s what they were positioned for.
An integrated management system is the key to keeping attendance and important decisions up to date. Why a decision-maker wasn’t there, why did the dates keep adding up, and why did no one show up on the day of the decision to be announced. There must be a disciplined, centralized system to cater to all of this, to track and keep checks on each individual who enters the courtroom. If performances are inspected, judges will always show up on time, the defending parties won’t always be favoured corruption-wise, and the right person will get their rights there and then. Everyone must look up to factual decision-making, based on evidence and not wealth or status.
Furthermore, the involvement of media must be zero. A third party who dares to enter into a contractual relationship without being invited has no right to interfere in someone’s private life and convince children to choose one side of the party. Who gives them a right in the first place, does it to earn fame for their future, but do not realize they’re destroying the future of thousands of little brains in that messy situation. Fathers who bring their lawyers or clerks to sit along during the meeting must not be allowed to add any other party apart from them and their children during the meeting, this creates bias and wins them over through emotional blackmailing.
Communication on the other hand should be a must for everyone from the time someone enters the court till they leave. Communication resolves misunderstandings and keeps the chain of command go in a positive flow. Then, the significance of documentation is priceless and this factor if ignored, must not let a judge continue with his career at the court. Write every piece of information you know and what you wrote will prove as evidence for you tomorrow and for the people who come for help to you.
And of course, bribery lovers like fake sellers, bailiffs, and clerks in the court should be dismissed immediately. There should be clean, organized seating arrangements for people in the court. Collectively, judges and top members must be neutral and not biased in any condition. These are just a few ways the family court system can be improved in Lahore.
The strategy is for the authorities to learn and be committed which reflects qualitative decisions for anyone. The top authorities must also take note of the mess, the culture, and the core principles which should be followed by everyone in the family court so no one remains biased and unfairly treated. Every day, daily checks and trails on each judiciary member should be mapped, to make sure customer needs are met on time and according to the laws of the country. No one must be favoured because of their status, but because of what they have to prove. The court can have expert teams who come now and then to ensure things are going systematically and planning, training, and relationships between members and non-members are maintained. No one, as well, should be allowed to make excuses, and absence must be accepted no more than twice. When the system will be disciplined and the same for everyone, it will only then be capable of being a quality management system.
MAHNOOR ASHRAF
LAHORE
