Name of the Student
Tarun Kumar
College and Year of Study
School of Legal Studies, Central University of Kashmir, BA LLB, 3rd year
Name and Address of the Organization
Hon’ble Munisff/Additional Mobile Magistrate, District Court, Ganderbal, Jammu &Kashmir – 191201.
Duration of Internship
June 13, 2022, to July 15, 2022
How did you Apply?
I applied for the internship through my Head of Department.
First Day Formalities, Infrastructure, First Impression
The Judge’s chamber is small, and there is no dedicated place for interns because the court complex is small as required. Being new district court complex is not properly made for court proceedings courtrooms are small in size, so there is a heavy rush of people, and the chamber used to be almost packed. There are no first-day formalities only I had to submit my bonafide letter and attendance sheet.
As being local, the Hon’ble judge was aware of my department only I submitted my CV with Cover later and introduced myself, and he asked various questions about my knowledge of the subjects I knew and finally accompanied him to the courtroom for hearings, Hon’ble Munisiff is also young, and this was his third year as Judge, so he asked about books, syllabus, and approach of study.
The courts are lovely and the best in class, even being the smallest part of trial court procedural language is English in Kashmir. The environment is favorable for hearing the sitting Judges conveying their orders and decisions.
Main Tasks
The main task was assigned to me to find relevant case laws on various topics such as land revenue act, inheritance, maintenance, property disputes, traffic challan, and small criminal offenses, and in off time we discussed means or approaches to tackle legal problems.
Almost 90% percent of cases were civil nature related to family laws. Also assisted in researching cases related to matrimonial disputes, including provisions of dissolution of marriage, restitution of conjugal rights, etc. Witnessed the court proceedings/hearings related to matrimonial and miscellaneous cases.
Work Environment
The work environment was good. I got to learn a lot from lawyers and the library of the court. Met some advocates, and they shared their experiences about working and tackling the issues. As being outside valley student, they asked various questions related to the courts of my home district. They were incredibly soft-spoken, ready to help, and filled with humor.
Good things
The best thing about being an intern is that there was immense learning about the practical implications of the laws that I had studied.
After witnessing the court proceedings, you’ll get a clear idea of working within the legal system. After completing your internship, you’ll know that practical knowledge is different from theoretical one, which we receive at our institutes.
Bad things
There was no such thing that I would say was bad about being an intern there only a basic problem I faced that is one of the official languages is Kashmiri so criminal challan, case dairy or other documents were written in Kashmiri which was new to me.
Accommodation & Conveyance to Office
District Court Complex is within walking distance from my hostel.
Stipend
No stipend.
Anything Else
Court visits are an essential part of our five-year law program. It is an informative and powerful experience. it enriches our learning. The purpose of court visits for law students is to examine their reactions to the legal system, to get a sense of how the court runs, how lawyers, clients, and court staff interact, and to analyze whether their perceptions are changed or confirmed by the things observe.
The basic thing about the court internship under a Judge/ Magistrate is to understand and watch the proceedings, which are both civil and criminal. During this internship helped me to get a compelling study experience and valuable exposure to working in a professional environment. Learning about legal system is on thing, sitting in court and watching someone get sentenced gives us a whole new perspective. For me it was first time in court and that was interesting one.
Note: This Internship Experience was initially published on October 17, 2022. Republished on July 28, 2023.
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Source: Lawctopus
