Coup On Law And Justice – 01 [How to detect the Truth]

Imagine a house. A mother with her four children was there in the house. While she was working in Kitchen, her children were quarreling in their room. After some time, they were complaining her. One boy told his mother, “Mummy! Younger brother had beaten me and snatched my chocolate. Look, he had bitten me on hand”. The young boy said “No. mummy. Elder brother had bitten himself and eaten up his own chocolate and mine also. Moreover he is claiming me.”

What mother would do? She was not there to observe what had happened really. Naturally she could enquire the other boys in that room. Depending up on that witness, she could identify what had happened really. It the elder boy bitten himself and eaten up the two chocolate and claiming the younger, she could punish him by banning the next snacks or other incentive; and by counseling the both, she could restore the co-ordination among them to prevent such disputes in further. If the younger boy bitten his brother and snatched the chocolate, she could punish the younger as above. Sometimes this would serve the purpose of making justice.

Suppose there were no witnesses, what would she do? She would examine the physical situation there. She could notice that who had eaten up the chocolate, and whose little lips give chocolate smell. She could consider the nature of the kids, who among them was more active to create such dispute. She could consider their physical power whether the younger could bitten the elder. She could consider their psychology whether the elder could allow the younger to bite him and to snatch the chocolate from him.

By considering all these things, she could cross-examine them. While prosecuting them, she could remind them the morality she taught them, to spell the truth. Definitely justice could be made in this issue in this proceeger. Sometimes the mother could consider both the witness and personal observation and considerations to make justice in the dispute. At the sense time, she could try to prevent such behavior of disputes creation and selfish nature to enable the family to lead peaceful life.

A colony, a village, A Manual, A district, a state, a country and totally this world is a family i.e. house. The justice and law should be at our mother’s place.

To solve the disputes of the children, their mother i.e. law and justice should be available to them. To observe the mode of disputes and to know who the dispute maker is, she should be one of the members among them. That means the justice should not be far away to the society.

In this context, I narrate you some stories regarding Mardyada Ramanna who was famous to give justice in disputes among people and solve them with wisdom. As per the belief of people over centuries, he lived as ‘న్యాయాధికారి’ i.e. officer of the justice in a village. Because of his fame of efficiency in solving disputes, people from surrounding villages used to come to him to be solving of their problems. These folk stories were on oral, later written in books.

Some of stories I’m going to refer you, which are quite interesting and will give clarity regarding the process of justice making in disputes.

అనగా అనగా ………..

One day a woman named Rangamma approached Maryada Ramanna, the officer of the justice of the village and lodged a complained against Veeramma, her neighbor as “Ayya i.e. Father. My name is Rangamma. I had lended a veesa i.e. [1 and ½ Kg.] of ghee to my neighbor Veeramma for the festival of SanKranthi, to prepare sweets. She promised me to return it within a month. Still she didn’t return it. Now, when I demanded her to return, she is bluffing that she didn’t take ghee from me.”

Maryada Ramanna asked her “Whether any witness for this?”

Rangamma said “No sir, it was approaching the festival Sankranthi. She received her daughter and son-in-law as festival guests. On that hurry occasion, she requested me and I immediately gave the ghee to her. I didn’t expect this type of behavior from her, so that I didn’t take precautions to keep witness.”

Maryada Ramanna summoned Veeramma to attend the Panchayathi i.e. Village Assembly. When he enquired her regarding the allegation of Rangamma, she said “Ayya i.e. Father. Rangamma is saying lies. She had only two buffaloes and I have six buffaloes. At any cost, there is no need to me to barrow ghee from her. She has jealousy on me. To degrade me or to unpopular me, she is blaming me like this. I’m too innocent in this dispute.”

Maryada Ramanna enquired regarding the fact and he came to know that Veeramma had six milch cattle where as Rangamma had two only. But his sense, wisdom and discretion telling him that Rangamma was telling truth. When he stressed both the women to spell truth, both of them repeated their arguments with firm voice.

He thought for a while. Then he asked them to attend the village assembly on next day. Next day, he ordered his peon to make the floor wet and muddy in front of the village assembly. Before step into the room, his peon arranged two water pots of big size and two small mug size pots to lift water from the big pots. He kept his peon in the varanadha to suggest the women to clean up their foot, before entering in to the office room of village assembly.

The two women approached the assembly. They walked on the muddy floor. The peon asked them to clean up their foot with water; by showing one pots to each of the them Rangamma used mug sized water pot to lift water from the big pot, poured water on foot, rubbed the foot with hand and washed foot and hands. She used two or three mugs of water.

Veeramma poured all of the water in big size pot by upholding it on her foot. But still some mud was there on her foot. So she took the other pot which left by Rangamma and poured that water also on her foot to clean completely. Later both of the ladies entered in to the room of Maryada Ramanna.

He watched all of this through his room window. He said “Veeramma. Tell the truth. You had barrowed the ghee from Rangamma. Didn’t you?”

By fearing about the shrewdness in his voice, she said cordially “sir, I …I didn’t.”

He said “No. Veeramma! You have six buffaloes. But you have no carefulness. While handling the materials, you can’t control your wastage. So you had fallen in the shortage of ghee on the occasion of festival. So that you barrowed it from Rangamma. She was able to lend you ghee, though she has two milch cattle because of her careful handling of the material. The way you used the water to clean up your muddy feet is the demo of your habit.”

Veeramma accepted her error and said apology to Maryada Ramanna and Rangamma. She returned ghee to Rangamma along with compensation.

That’s the entire story.

Now a days in court, all such arguments, cross-examinations etc. everything is happening. But what is happening in the justice making, all of we know. I try to expose it you my level best in this writing. I narrate you another story of Maryada Ramanna.