A Delhi High Court judge, Anish Dayal, compared legal proceedings to the process of creating stories, calling judges 'great authors,' and courtrooms 'a remarkable theater.'
According to Judge Dayal, the case materials contain real stories with actual characters and plots, which can be both factual and fictional. He noted that the resolution of problems is always present during the issuance of decisions.
These remarks were made during his keynote speech at the 11th 'Himalayan Echoes' festival in Nainital on Friday. The judge added that he reviews between 60 and 100 cases daily and believes this experience qualifies him for participation in a literary festival.
Reflecting on the three spheres of his life—the judiciary, literature, and the mountains—Anish Dayal emphasized that each presents unique lessons governed by 'rules,' 'imagination,' and the untamed power of nature, respectively.
He pointed out that about 80% of legal disputes involve ordinary people whose stories often remain hidden behind the 'antiseptic language' of legal documents. The judge stressed that real stories are read daily, noting the emotional burden associated with hearing criminal cases and studying victims' testimonies.
Anish Dayal described the role of a judge as applying 'cold, objective reasoning and justice' when dealing with accusations, facts, and legislation.
Furthermore, he shared amusing examples of mistranslations in legal documents. For instance, the Hindi phrase 'mooh boli behan' was translated as 'mouth spoken sister,' and 'somersault' as 'the salt that you have in the summer.' One document also used the term 'clientess.'
He concluded that they work with language in all its distorted and archaic forms, inviting writers to explore legal cases for linguistic curiosities.