Court (2014)
• Marathi movie directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, a young filmmaker from Mumbai.
• Story based on criminal charges against a Marathi folk singer, Narayan Kamble.
• Focuses on courtroom hearings in the sessions court. Also shows the personal lives of the
lawyers and the judge. Film avoids ‘good vs. bad’ - shows people as complex, everyday
individuals.
• Narayan Kamble
• Naryan Kamble is played by a real-life Dalit activist, Vira Sathidar.
• Around 70 years old, simple appearance, energetic personality.
• Writes and performs poems in public gatherings, on streets, and at protests.
• Gives private tuitions to school children for a living.
• Vinay Vora
• Defence lawyer for Kamble.
• Wealthy, soft-spoken, helps people out of privilege.
• Specialises in criminal justice and human rights, highly committed.
• Not aggressive in court; empathy shown as a result of his comfortable life.
• Acts as a bridge between Nutan and Kamble.
• Nutan
• Public prosecutor.
• Middle-class, Biased, prejudiced.
• Tries to jail Kamble without questioning herself.
• Casual remark: Kamble should be jailed for 20 years to avoid seeing “boring faces.”
• Attends xenophobic play; laughs at discrimination.
• Enables injustice through ignorance, not active malice.
• Judge Sadavarte
• Presides over the case. Superstitious, believes in numerology, gives impractical advice.
• Raises question: Can such a judge fairly carry the weight of India’s judiciary?
• Does not speed up proceedings before summer vacation, leaving very ill and tired
Narayan in jail for months.
• Shows special courtesy to a politician - tells him he need not appear until called.
• Fines a group for travelling in disabled compartment without hearing their side.
• Postpones a girl’s case because she wore a sleeveless dress.
• Plans a vacation with his joint family during summer break.
• He slaps a mute child for waking him.
• Symbolises how society and judiciary prefer to “sleep through” injustices.
• Vasudev Pawar
• Dalit sewage worker; shown only in one photo, his death not directly shown.
• Death possibly caused by unsafe sewer work. Yet it helps us look into the rising number
of suicides among them.
• Widow Sharmila Pawar testifies: husband drank alcohol to bear the smell of manual
scavenging; no safety gear; he lost an eye’s sight, family lived in extreme poverty.
• Sharmila Pawar
• She is the only one truly affected by Vasudev’s death. Others (lawyers, police, court)
move on, but her life is permanently altered.
• Cannot even grieve properly - forced to return to her village to find work and raise her
child.
• When Vinay Vora offers her money, she refuses and says she needs a job, not charity.
• Highlights how marginalized people are denied both justice and the dignity of mourning.
• She avoids eye contact, looks confused when surrounded by lawyers, judge, police.
• Shows her isolation and grief.
• Manual Scavenging
• Cleaning human waste from septic tanks, latrines, sewers.
• Forced on Dalits through threats or violence.
• Often unpaid, without masks or gloves for protection.
• Causes serious health issues (skin diseases, gas poisoning).
• Leads to social exclusion and discrimination in school, religion, and services.
• Themes
• Shows the reality of court life and the slow judicial process.
• Explores caste, class, free speech, and justice.
• Reveals the helplessness of those falsely accused.
• Exposes bias in police investigations.
• Highlights the struggles of lawyers defending the marginalised.
• Kamble’s Songs and Arrests
• Performed at Wadgaon Massacre Protest Cultural Meet.
• Wrote and sang songs of resistance.
• Focus on class struggles, suffering of the poor, and questioning oppressive governments.
• Charged with abetment to suicide of Vasudev Pawar, a young manual scavenger from
Sitla Devi slum.
• Police claimed Kamble’s songs caused Pawar’s suicide. Though he does not remember
sing a song of that theme.
• Charges found to be weak.
• Granted conditional bail with very high bail amount.
• Soon arrested again on fabricated/ false charges under:
o Section 124A IPC (Sedition)
o Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967
• Larger Issues Highlighted
• Shows flaws in the Indian criminal justice system.
• Prejudice of public prosecutors and ill-treatment of accused.
• Millions jailed on false or fabricated charges.
• Many await justice for years without representation.
• Bail amounts often too high for the poor to afford.
Systemic Prejudices of the Public Prosecutor
• Public Prosecutors are officers of the court, working for the state and should help in fair
justice delivery.
• Yet they often make personal attacks instead of focusing on case facts.
• Labels like extremist, terrorist, or Maoist are used to damage the accused’s image.
• This goes against the legal principle: “Innocent until proven guilty.”
• Many lack subject expertise and proper training.
• There is a need to train and sensitise them about the concerns of the oppressed.
Is the Indian Criminal Justice System Accessible to Marginalised Groups?
• The justice system impacts everyone and we may need it at some point.
• Even after 70+ years of independence, it is still inaccessible to marginalised groups.
• Police - key part of the system - is the most inaccessible institution for them.
• Many undertrials (arrested but not proved guilty at a court/ case pending)remain in jail
longer than the sentence for their alleged offence.
• Courtrooms are not friendly to the marginalised.
• Backlog and pendency of cases delay justice.
• System is still shaped by colonial-era courts designed for the ruling class.
• Little improvement has been made to make justice smooth and fair for all.
• In the movie Court, Judge Sadavarte is shown scolding the investigating officer for not
producing witnesses. But he is also shown
• Justice Wheel is made up of police, prosecution/investigating agencies, and courts.
• Court shows all parts in detail, including ill practices in police work. Example:
Investigating officer Pradeep Shelke uses the same witness in multiple cases – called a
stock witness.
• Problematic Laws
• Public safety and preventive detention laws (e.g., UAPA) shift the burden of proof to the
accused.
o These allow police to arrest someone if they think the person might be a danger,
even before any crime is proven.
o Normally, the court must prove you’re guilty. Under these laws, you must prove
you’re innocent.
• No bail provision leads to long years in jail without trial.
• Movies approach to the theme
• Style - Calm, restrained, meditative; issues blend naturally into the story without feeling
forced.
• Realism - Feels like real life; injustices are revealed subtly, not loudly.
o Focuses on everyday details. Breaks away from typical drama.
o No exaggerated speeches in courtroom.
o No background music - keeps focus on natural sounds and conversations.
o Minimalist style supports the film’s meditative, observational tone.
o Avoids emotional manipulation, instead letting viewers notice absurdities and
injustices themselves.
• Approach - No false hope; a cynical, layered study of society and its characters.
Gradually breaks viewers’ comfort zones and forces them to face social realities.
• Symbolism of Blue
• Narayan Kamble often shown in soft blue, especially in the witness box.
• Blue is a common colour used fir Dalit resistance (Ambedkarite movement) - highlights
Kamble’s struggle and quiet resistance.
• Blue is a symbol of intelligence/responsibility. It is used in court scenes ironically to
show the lack of intelligence and absurd court arguments.
• Example: Judge halts trial because accused wore a sleeveless top.
• Blue also shows lost purity and deep corruption in the system.
Long Shots
• Show life’s normal flow alongside ongoing invisible injustices.
• Long shots show life moving on while injustices continue unnoticed.
• Still camera makes the audience feel like a silent observer inside the courtroom.
• Shows the slow pace and delays of court proceedings.
• Highlights the monotony and waiting that come with seeking justice.
• Encourages viewers to notice the everyday absurdities and hidden injustices without
dramatic exaggeration.
• Raises questions about whether society can ever be truly fair - no easy answers given.