In a powerful testament to compassion within the judicial system, Additional Junior Civil Judge Essampelli Sai Shiva of Bodhan town, Nizamabad district, stepped beyond the courtroom to deliver justice on the street—literally. Moved by the plight of an elderly couple too frail to enter the courthouse due to severe health issues, Judge Shiva brought the courtroom to them.
The couple, Kantapu Sayamma and Kantapu Nadpi Gangaram, accused under Section 498-A IPC for alleged matrimonial cruelty, arrived at the court premises in a rickshaw, unable to walk due to injuries from a recent accident. In a moment that captured the hearts of many, Judge Shiva, seated on a plastic chair outside the court building, signed their acquittal order while the elderly man remained in the rickshaw and his wife stood with folded hands—a photograph that has since become emblematic of empathy in justice.
The case, filed by their daughter-in-law in 2021, had dragged on through nearly 30 hearings over three years. On April 22, 2025, the matter was reserved for judgment. Upon learning that the accused could no longer attend hearings due to their fragile condition, the judge took the extraordinary step of pronouncing the verdict in person, outside the courtroom.
His order was brief yet powerful: "Accused No.1 and 2 found not guilty for the offence punishable under section 498A of IPC," thus clearing the couple of all charges.
Judge Shiva, a 2023 graduate of Mahatma Gandhi Law College and a newly inducted civil judge, has already shown that justice need not be confined by walls. In his own words, "I chose the role of judge to be in the middle of a victim and accused person… to speedily dispose of cases and ensure justice to victims."
Legal minds and the public alike have hailed the moment as a beacon of hope, highlighting that justice, when tempered with empathy, can reach even the most vulnerable. In a system often burdened by delays and infrastructure gaps, Judge Shiva's humane gesture reminds us that the heart of the law still beats for the people.
