Place of trial to be deemed to be open Court
Full Text
The place in which any Civil Court is held for the purpose of trying any suit shall be deemed to be an open Court, to which the public generally may have access so far as the same can conveniently contain them:
Provided that the presiding Judge may, if he thinks fit, order at any stage of any inquiry into or trial of any particular case, that the public generally, or any particular person, shall not have access to, or be or remain in, the room or building used by the Court.
Plain English Summary
Section 153B codifies the constitutional principle of open justice, mandating that every civil court is deemed an open court accessible to the public, while conferring discretion upon the presiding judge to conduct in-camera proceedings or exclude specific persons when warranted by decency or public interest.
Key Legal Elements
- Presumption of Open Court: Every civil court is statutorily presumed to be an open court accessible to the general public.
- Physical Capacity Caveat: Access is subject to convenient seating/standing accommodation in the courtroom.
- In-Camera Exception (Proviso): Discretionary authority to order in-camera trials or exclude the public/specific persons in sensitive cases.
Practical Note
The Principle of Open Justice and In-Camera Hearings (Order XXXIIA Interplay): 1. Constitutional & Democratic Norm: Open justice is a hallmark of the rule of law (Naresh Shridhar Mirajkar v. State of Maharashtra, AIR 1967 SC 1). The public and media have a legitimate right to witness judicial proceedings. 2. In-Camera Proceedings (Proviso): The proviso empowers the trial judge to exclude the public or specific disruptive individuals. In-camera hearings are commonly held in sensitive family disputes (Order XXXIIA Rule 3), matrimonial disputes, trademark secrets/trade secrets trials, or where witness intimidation is credible.
हिंदी पाठ
वह स्थान, जिसमें कोई सिविल न्यायालय किसी वाद का विचारण करने के प्रयोजन से बैठता है, खुली अदालत (Open Court) समझा जाएगा, जिसमें सर्वसाधारण का साधारणतया प्रवेश हो सकेगा जहां तक कि उसमें उनके लिए सुविधापूर्वक स्थान हो:
परन्तु पीठासीन न्यायाधीश, यदि वह ठीक समझे तो, किसी विशिष्ट मामले की किसी जांच या विचारण के किसी भी प्रक्रम पर यह आदेश दे सकेगा कि सर्वसाधारण का या किसी विशिष्ट व्यक्ति का न्यायालय द्वारा उपयोग में लाए जाने वाले कक्ष या भवन में प्रवेश न होगा या वे उसमें उपस्थित नहीं होंगे या नहीं रहेंगे (कैमरा विचारण / In-Camera Trial)।