Lawyers and civic norms

The downpour in July lead to flooding of a basement in Delhi and the deaths of 3 students. In a separate incident a mother and child drowned in an open drain due to a flooded road. With increased consistency, we now come across reports of similar mishaps. These incidents bring into sharp focus the interplay between the changing weather patterns, lack of infrastructure as well as insensitivity to civic behaviour.

Global warming and changing weather patterns is an outcome of human actions. The quest for an indulgent lifestyle at the expense of Mother Nature's limited resources has resulted in environmental stress. It is ironic that even after being fully aware of climate change, we have failed to modify our town planning as well as lifestyle. Furthermore, we remain oblivious to our duty towards society. 

Being part of a larger society, lawyers are also directly affected. The torrential rain in June this year resulted in flooding of several law offices in basements of South Delhi. One such incident was covered by Bar & Bench. It was not an isolated incident and several other law offices were also flooded. 

As members of the legal community, however, we have failed to contribute to town planning and civic sense. This would be clear to any regular practitioner in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.

On any court working day, right in front of the glitzy Bharat Mandap, Bhagwan Das Road is chock-a-block. While the drive to the Supreme Court may have become smooth and signal-free, getting inside is not. It is extenuated on Mondays and Fridays, which are miscellaneous hearing days. The vehicles can turn right, left and around, depending on whether one has to go MC Setalvad Chamber Block, inside the Supreme Court or towards Mandi House. Thus, one is greeted with long queues at each of the entry gates. The same is true for the approach to the Delhi High Court on Sher Shah Suri Marg. 

Even within the Supreme Court compound, the planning, or the lack thereof, does not leave much space for people on foot to reach the pass counters from the gates. The cars are parked bumper to bumper. Instead of one way movement, the cars are allowed to move both ways on the narrow lanes, leading to constant congestion. The limited parking space adjacent to the chamber block has been utilised to accommodate security staff. I am no expert on planning. However, it still intrigues one as to why the planning cannot be improved to allow better vehicular and people movement in and around the courts.

At the same time, our lack of civic sense compounds the problems. I can only assume it is our sense of entitlement that we believe in cars being parked right at the entry or exit points, so that one does not have to walk more. In the Supreme Court, within the limited parking space adjacent to Court No 4, cars exit and then immediately enter, as the drivers keep on taking rounds for premium parking spots. It does not matter if the parking is already full. The cars keep on doing the rounds to ensure that as and when even a single slot opens up, they can park. It matters little that in the process, the entry gate gets blocked. Just outside the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court complexes, parking has become free for all. Three lane roads narrow down to a single lane. I have wondered many a time that in the event of an unfortunate incident, how emergency vehicles could enter either of the courts easily. It is next to impossible for a fire engine to immediately access the court precincts. 

As lawyers, we take pride in upholding constitutional norms and principles. The judiciary has been instrumental  in laying down path-breaking norms and guidelines by way of several public interest litigation (PILs). It would be, therefore, in the fitness of things that as a community, lawyers ensure that there is proper planning in and around court complexes to avert disasters which are exacerbated on account of negligence. At the same time, we also need to foster the spirit of adhering to civic duties so that any individual’s actions are not a detriment to the society’s interests.   

Amit Gupta is an Oxford and Columbia University graduate practicing in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.