http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=114159
Illiterate and dalit, but a legal expert BY TIRTHA NEUPANE SYANGJA, June 29 - He is an illiterate. Worse, he belongs to the impoverished dalit community in his rural village of Western Nepal. Nevertheless, Indra Bahadur Damai of Bichari Chautara VDC-9 in Syangja district is no less than any legal expert in terms of interpreting legal provisions on both civil and criminal cases. Seventy-nine-year old Damai knows almost all the clauses of the Civil Code by heart---thanks to the over 400 cases he faced during his life so far. "There are three kinds of punishments involving civil cases," says Damai, reminiscing that he first heard this provision of Civil Code from others. "For example, two persons fought each other and one of them broke a leg of his rival. In such a case of dismemberment of physical organ, the guilty faces 10-year prison term and a fine up to Rs 42,000," he says. "Second, if the leg is broken and does not recover fully even after necessary treatment, the guilty party is to face 6-years jail and fine up to Rs 42,000. Third, if the broken leg fully recovers after treatment, the guilty faces 2-year jail term and fine up to Rs 42,000." Interestingly, Damai is one among those facing the highest number of cases in the District Court. "There is not a single month when he does not appear before the court," says Court Registrar Khim Bahadur Thapa, who has been there for the last three years. "There have been some 60 cases against him since I was transferred here. He turned winner in all these cases." This is the obvious reason why he is popularly called Mudda Baje-- the grand father facing court cases. The septuagenarian Damai started facing cases when he was just 23. "I have faced over 400 cases so far. All kinds of cases except those related to theft, murder and adultery." Posted on: 2007-06-28 20:28:50 (Server Time)
