One of the key features of democracy is the rule of law. Without it, democracy cannot function in any country. In many third-world nations, however, the rule of law is repeatedly undermined.
The influential often defy the law, and verdicts are frequently subject to covert influence from the powerful—sometimes even direct interference. Courts are supposed to be the people’s last refuge, yet many litigants face harassment within the very premises of the court. At times, insecurity itself prevails inside the courtroom.
People summoned for hearings are often subjected to humiliation and mistreatment. What could be more unfortunate than this?
When former senior bureaucrats, political leaders, and ordinary citizens alike suffer harassment within court premises, how can justice truly be delivered in such countries? Whenever an accused person is brought to court, ensuring their overall safety should be a fundamental responsibility.
Why should anyone subject them to insults or derogatory remarks while their case is under trial? Why should such a hostile environment even exist? Yet in many developing countries, defendants are publicly humiliated, abused, and even physically attacked—sometimes right in front of the judge, inside the courtroom.
An even more alarming trend is the occurrence of physical assaults in the judge’s presence. Should it not be mandatory to investigate and take action against whoever engages in such conduct, especially when it happens before judges and police officers?
And if a lawyer engages in such reckless and undesirable behavior, should the law not take its own course against them as well?
Creating disorder is easy; but one must remember, it is not always one-sided. If chaos continues within the court premises of third-world nations, there is no doubt that these countries will become uninhabitable.
Lawlessness, conflict, and unrest will inevitably dominate. The law should treat everyone equally—but do these countries truly uphold that principle? For example, when the current U.S. President Donald Trump was in the opposition, he had to appear in court early last year for a case filed against him.
On several occasions, he faced harassment of different kinds. During his trial, when a request was made to slightly raise the room temperature due to excessive cold, it was mocked and ridiculed. No one is above the law—be it a former president, a minister, a member of parliament, or even a gatekeeper.
But targeting defendants with insults, scuffles, abusive language, threatening gestures, frowns, or muttering is unjust and unethical. In a developed country like the United States, judges reprimand or fine individuals who show disrespect toward defendants. Sadly, in many third-world countries, such behavior has become normalized—something deeply unfortunate.
In reality, it is not about being developed, underdeveloped, or developing—defendants everywhere must be treated with dignity and fairness. When they are brought before the court, no behavior should cause distress to them, their relatives, or well-wishers.
If they have committed wrongdoing or crimes, they must certainly be punished under the law. But pre-judging them, humiliating them, or damaging their dignity in any way is unacceptable. For the sake of justice itself, such practices must be stopped. Even outside the courtroom, spreading hatred against defendants or subjecting them to physical and mental abuse must also come to an end.