a paper written by him some years ago show to what extent 

 the uncertainty of law promotes litigation : " I think that the 

 character of our courts is a cause of our .poverty. The law 

 charges are enormous and the law administered is too refined 

 for the country, and the uncertainties of law are so great that 

 resort to courts has almost all the characteristics of gambling. 



Apart from the enormous cost, the general 



ignorance of the English judges of the manners, customs 

 and habits of our people has made the results of a suit ex- 

 tremely uncertain, and has encouraged the people to resort to 

 courts upon the slightest grounds. I will give you one small 

 instance of the uncertainty of the law. In a certain case of 

 Hindu adoption, a man from the mofussil, with whom I was 

 acquainted and against whom the District Judge had passed 

 an adverse decision, came to me and asked my advice as to 

 whether he should appeal against the decision. I told him 

 that he had no good grounds and so said an eminent vakil 

 whom he consulted. He, however, ventured to appeal and 

 try a chance. He had the decree of the lower court upset 

 against the convictions of the vakil whom he employed. 

 There was an appeal to the Privy council, and the decree of 

 the High court was upset. Such instances are not few. It 

 is not so much the cost of the courts and the uncertainties 

 of law that I so much regret as the enormous amount of time, 

 energy and attention that is lost in the courts." 



108. The remedy for this state of things appears to be 



the adoption of some scheme similar to 



Reforms suggested by that advocated by Mr. T. L. Strange, one 



Mr. strange. ^^ ^^^ .^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ g^^^^^ (.^^^^^ 



in his letter written to Government so long ago as 1860 

 on the subject of judicial reform.^^^ The main features of 

 Mr. Strange's scheme were as follows. For the settlement 

 of petty litigation, he proposed panchayets constituted some- 

 what like the Village Court benches above described ; and 

 he expected that these panchayets would relieve the regular 

 tribunals of nearly half the litigation of the country. For 

 the settlement of higher litigation, he proposed to have two 

 sets of courts, viz., first. District Courts, 50 in number; and 

 secondly, ten appellate or Provincial Courts with a High Court 

 in the Presidency Town. The District Courts were to, be 

 presided over by two judges of which one was generally to be an 

 European and the other a native. The object in associating 



"^ Mr. Strange' 8 letter seems to me to be admirable and one that deserves to be care- 

 fully read by every one who is interested in reforming the administration of justice, 



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