A Farewell to the Corridors That Raised Generations of Lawyers

Aasima Jan

 

“Those narrow corridors witnessed sleepless nights, handwritten petitions, endless legal research, and the determination of advocates who built the legal foundation of Bandipora with dedication and dignity.”

The shifting of the Court Complex in Bandipora is undoubtedly a welcome step for the new generation of lawyers. Growth always demands space, expansion and better infrastructure. For the young advocates this new complex represents opportunity, progress and the beginning of promising careers. But for the senior advocates this transition carries a very different emotion that words can hardly fully capture.

As a child I witnessed my father Advocate Jan Muhammad Sahib grow struggle and flourish within the walls of that old court complex. In those days Bandipora had only a small Munsiff Court and there were only a handful of lawyers who devoted their entire lives to the profession. Advocate Jan Sahib Advocate Malik Sahib Advocate Amin Sahib may Allah bless his soul with Jannat Advocate Majeed Sahib and Advocate Reyaz Sahib were among those respected names who not only built their careers there but also laid the very foundation of legal practice in Bandipora.

For them the court was never just a workplace. It was a second home. Its corridors had witnessed their youth their hardships their victories and their silent battles.

I still remember those days when life inside the courtroom was entirely different from what we see today. A clerk was lovingly called an “Agent” and I too became my father’s little agent. I would sort files arrange papers and sit beside him at home writing petitions as he dictated every word to me.

There were no computers no internet and no instant access to judgments. Everything was handwritten. Those files carried not only papers but also the sleepless nights hard work and dedication of lawyers who truly lived for their profession. Advocates would stay awake till late at night turning the pages of heavy law books searching endlessly for a single judgment. There were no shortcuts no search engines and no quick commands to bring the law before your eyes within seconds.

In those times winning a case was not merely professional success it felt like winning a war. Every victory carried the weight of sacrifice patience struggle and countless hours of reading. Lawyers poured their blood sweat and youth into their work and the old court corridors silently became witnesses to all those battles.

Today with a single click hundreds of judgments instantly appear on a screen but perhaps the emotional connection the struggle and the soul that existed in those days can never fully return.

Back in my Mohalla people would often seek my suggestions simply because I belonged to a lawyer’s household. Somewhere along that beautiful journey without even realizing it I became a small pseudo celebrity in my locality carrying pride in my father’s name and in the world of law that shaped my childhood.

Today the district court has grown far beyond what those early pioneers had once witnessed. Times have changed the institution has expanded and with that a new chapter has begun.

Yet for the seniors this is not merely the shifting of a building. It is the shifting of memories.

It is walking away from the rooms where they spent the finest years of their lives. It is leaving behind the corridors that once echoed with their footsteps their arguments their laughter their worries and their dreams. Every wall of that old complex carries fragments of their youth their struggles and their untold stories.

To the junior lawyers I would only say this embrace this new beginning with humility and respect. For you the new court complex is the beginning of a journey but for many seniors it is a farewell to a place that carried their lifelong memories sacrifices and dedication.

Your seniors may not belong to the age of smart buildings modern systems and instant technology yet they carried the dignity and legacy of this profession with honesty simplicity and wisdom. Those old courtrooms were not merely workplaces they were silent witnesses to their sleepless nights their hard work and the countless stories that shaped their lives.

One day time will place you exactly where they stand today and then you too will understand the pain of walking away from a place that quietly carried your entire journey within its walls.

Buildings can be shifted but memories can never be shifted.

Author can be mailed at aasimajkhan@gmail.com