Public Administration in Ancient India c15.47

c15.47

The regular courts met once or twice every day, usually in the mornings and evenings. The court-house was looked upon as a sacred place, and it was open to all. Trials were always held in public. The Sukranīti says: “Neither the King nor the members of the judicial assembly should ever try cases in private.”⁴ Cases were taken up for disposal either in the order of their respective applications, or of their urgency, or of the nature of the injury suffered, or of the relative importance of the castes⁵ of suitors. The royal officers were strictly forbidden to take any part either in the commencement or in the subsequent conduct of a suit. Manu is very emphatic on this point. "Neither the King," says he, "nor any servant of his shall cause a lawsuit to be begun, or hush up one that has been brought (before the court) by (some) other (person)."¹ It is not very clear whether this rule was confined only to civil suits, or applied to criminal cases as well. But it is probable that, in the graver criminal offences, the State took upon itself the duty of conducting the prosecution.²