- Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us why you chose a criminal law internship.
I am Ishan Ujwal Chavan, currently pursuing Law from Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai. During the course of internship break, I specifically chose Criminal Law Internship as other laws, such as civil, are very vast and include various sections in them, whereas in criminal Law we mostly have to deal with regular sections which is perfect for someone just beginning their litigation internship journey.
- Under whom did you intern, and how was your daily routine?
I Interned under Adv.Sanjay Wandare Sir and Adv.Sahilesh Padwal Sir who is also the Vice-President of Vadgaon District and Additional Sessions Court Bar Council, both of them have great experience in criminal law cases are lawyers based in Lonavala. My routine was reaching the Court by 10:30 checking the cause list and in which matters do we need to give exemption application if the client was not present for hearing then around 01:00 PM we used have lunch and after completing all the work from the court at 06:00 PM I used to reach the office and make list of matters thar were listed for tomorrow and then reach home by 08:00 PM.
- What types of criminal cases did you mostly see at the District Court and Additional Sessions Court?
POCSO Act, Murder, Half Murder, NDPS Acts, Cheque Bounce cases, etc. These were the cases mostly witnessed by me during the internship.
- Which stage of a criminal case did you understand best after this internship, and why?
Remand I understood this stage very well as we used to get remand every alternate day.
- What did court observation teach you that books never really explain?
Almost Everything that I learnt in the court observations the books would never explain it, be it the the court decorum, reading FIRs, understanding different states of a case, etc.
- Did you notice any difference in how District Courts and Sessions Courts handle criminal matters?
The District Court handel’s only civil cases where as Sessions Court handel’s only criminal cases. But there are 2 courts which handle’s criminal cases Magistrate Courts and Sessions Courts which court would handle which criminal case is based on the severity of the crime if the punishment of the crime committed is less than or equal to 7 years of imprisonment the case would be handled by Magistrate Courts and if the punishment of the crime committed is more 7 years of imprisonment, life imprisonment or death sentence then the case will be handled by Sessions Court.
- What small but important courtroom detail did you pick up during this internship?
Being polite while fighting/arguing your case is one small but very very important courtroom detail because getting aggressive doesn’t prove your point infact it leaves a bad impression upon the Hon’ble Judge which would definitely affect the case. Also, an important thing for suspects they shall be very well dressed in court shall not speak until asked to.
- How did watching bail or remand matters change the way you look at criminal procedure?
Remand matters are really a nervous situation and so is bail whether the suspect gets the bail or not or whether the suspect gets police custody or not. Both the situations check on the legal skills of the Advocate.
- What kind of drafting or paperwork did you get exposure to, even if only at a basic level?
Mostly filling exemption applications if the client would not be present for the hearing and also filling a certified to get official copies of documents that you require of any specific case.
- How did your mentor guide you when you made mistakes or didn’t understand something?
Mentors were very supportive and gentle taught me a lot of things politely and the best advice given was to observe all the things that are happening in court and do not spend your time keep observing. The other junior of the chamber were very supportive and encouraging too infact they were the who taught me a lot of things throughout my internship.
- What was the most interesting case or hearing you observed during the internship?
One of the most interesting hearing I experienced was of Kishore Aware Murder case whole court room was full with lawyers were literally standing throughout the hearing just to witness that particular hearing and arguments made Adv.Sudhir Shah sir renowned lawyer of Vadgaon (Maval).
- How did interacting with court staff or clerks help you understand court functioning?
Court staff was very humble and helpful they always used to ask under whom are you interning, which college are you in, some used to give tips regarding internship how can you improve yourself. During the internship I was able to interact with Hon’ble judges as well who encouraged me to excel in future.
- After this internship, what do you feel more confident about in criminal law?
After this internship I definitely feel more confident about criminal law be it going to court, interacting with the suspects, interacting with senior lawyers and judges.
- What one practical tip would you give to a law student interning at a district or sessions court for the first time?
I would suggest them to be punctual, be sincere towards the work assigned, also they shall carry stationary with them especially whitener, pen, stapler, court fees (tickets), etc. These things would make them stand out from other interns.
You can follow Ishan on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishan-chavan-0b0169380/
Follow Ishan on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/ishanchavan09?igsh=MWQ0a3Jzd2txcnNucA==
Interview by Team LawLex
Curated & edited by Yashika Paraswani, Managing Editor