The Court of Grievances is the department referred to by victims of injustice. I have praised this institution before, as it is the only recourse for people seeking justice. Recently, I received details of a case about a citizen who was forced to retire early. The man, who is in his mid-40s, had not reached the legal age for retirement. For a long time, he tried to complain about the forcible retirement through the proper channels in his company. He ended up wasting a lot of time, writing letters back and forth.
When he realized the issue could not be resolved amicably, he complained to the Court of Grievances. He was, however, surprised when the court declined to look into the case saying this was against regulations, which state that a plaintiff in such disputes should first file a complaint with the employer against the injustice within two months of the incident. If a satisfactory solution could not be found, then the plaintiff should file a suit at the Court of Grievances within two weeks; otherwise the case would not be valid.
This is how things are done at the Court of Grievances. I think this law should be revoked, as many people do not know about it. Members of the public should be made aware of the rules and regulations. The only people visiting the Court of Grievances are those seeking justice and what will happen to them when they discover this rule only when they go to make a complaint?
There should be no time limit to seek justice, because it defies justice. I have written many times that we as a society are unaware of our rights and privileges. It is fundamental in a civilized society to know one’s rights and duties. Most citizens are not aware of their rights. I suggest that the government publish the rules and regulations prevalent in the country in a book form and make them available to all citizens.
Some people might laugh at my suggestion and ask how this could be accomplished? But if we want to create a civilized society and have citizens who know their rights and duties, this book will simplify our task.
This book should be handed to youths when they receive their national ID cards. It could be easily distributed to others when they visit officials in government departments. Ministries could distribute it to their employees.
We do not want to remain blind. If the rules and regulations were made public then the ministries would not be held responsible when someone claims that they do not know the law. To be deprived of one’s rights simply because the rules and regulations were not made public makes one feel he or she may have faced injustice twice.
