Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Jurisdiction.


The territorial jurisdiction of courts of law are clearly enunciated in the constitution and in statutory laws.In the daily course of life ,I have come to know that an unwritten jurisdiction as sacrosanct as those of courts of justices exist and it is diligently followed and enforced with fervour and ardour that not only equals but at times also surpasses the written codes!

1.Flower sellers near temples.Their encroached space at the entry point is guarded ferociously and fie on those who dare set their foot in that holy strip.That prime space near the gateway enjoys hereditary rights and succession is usually matrilineal ,i.e.it passes from mothers to daughters!

2.Beggars near temples.That dusty and dirty bit of road is clearly marked as to who will lord over it . Transgression brings quick retribution .The other day I witnessed an argument between two grey haired beggars, over a piece of the cake [ road]. The woman lost her patience and threw water from a sachet on the rival claimants face . The dazed man gathered his wits soon enough, to pull out a bottle of water from his satchel [ which was well stocked in anticipation of the long day of work { begging } ahead ]and was about to pour it on her head when other beggars intervened, and held a panchayat on the spot itself to settle the jurisdictional matter! Abuses and curses rent the air drowning the mantras wafting out of the temple and the prayers of the devout.

3. Mobile press [iron] wallahas are the sole rulers of the street they have staked .They have the monopoly of collecting clothes and press them from the houses lining that street.They will stick to their street and will never venture into the next nor will they tolerate encroachment into their fiefdom from others.

4.Domestic workers .Servant maids corner households and if her services are terminated only a brave and bold woman can take her place . She must be thick skinned to weather the nonstop taunts and verbal abuses that would be hurled at her from the dismissed one!

5.Cable connection providers. They have never heard of monopoly trade practises restrictive laws.Their jurisdiction encompasses an entire locality.The consumers are totally at their mercy . They can never change their cable man .He is once and for all .

6.Mobile as well as stationery, vegetable , fruit , tender coconut vendors reign supreme in clearly demarcated boundaries ,and any overlapping is remedied postehaste.

Men like dhobhis, cable man etc stick to their territorial jurisdiction more religiously than women . Their area of operation is clear cut and will never overlap . It is simply not done . Could it be the fear of swift and violent retribution at the slightest transgression ?

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