If the prohibitions are confined to preventing approach to persons, places or things in their religious, social or private capacity only, there would be little perhaps from an official pomt of view to say against them. But when the principle is carried farther, as the author regrets to say it is, and prohibits the entrance of large classes of the community to Courts of Justice, and public offices and their approach within certain distances to public officers in their official capacity, it becomes a very different and much graver general question, and is tantamount to a positive denial of justice in many individual cases.
It is a fact low caste men generally could not enter-sometimes cannot approach-the Courts, Cutcherries, Registration offices etc. If the evidence of the low caste men has to be taken by a Judge or Magistrate and the witness cannot come to the Court, the Courts must go to the witness. But it must not go too near him, and the frequent result is that the witness’ evidence is taken by the Clourt or a Gloomastah deputed for the purpose, calling the questions to an intermediate peon, and the peon shouting them to the witness and repeating his replies to the presiding officer, the distance at which the witness is obliged to keep from that functionary being too great to allow of the questions and replies being distinctly audible or intelligible.
And, as low caste witnesses often give their evidence, so also low caste tax payers often pay their taxes, by go-betweens. Now, however desirous the higher officers may be to keep justice and show mercy, it is simply impossible for them, in such circumstances to prevent oppression and corruption on the part of their underlings.