Though the 800-year-old Patitpaban temple looks no different from the thousand-odd temples on and around Bhubaneswar, it is in fact very special. Come Sunday evening the temple takes on the mantle of a Jana Adalat or people's court where people gather to seek justice. The judge is 65-year-old Harihar Sahoo, a respected senior citizen of the locality. Though Sahoo has no legal qualification, he has settled over 400 disputes in the last five years. Most of these are civil disputes over property and land. All without a murmur or protest usually accepts his judgement. The adalat is extremely popular firstly because one can get speedy justice and also because anyone can lodge complaints by paying a processing fee of Rs 20 only. In fact, it may soon become a bi-weekly affair.
|
The final verdict
Print
