Judge calls for ‘tolerance sections’
IN LINE WITH ‘YEAR OF TOLERANCE’ DECLARATION, AL GALADARI URGES LENIENT WAYS TO RESOLVE MINOR DISPUTES
Legal and Court Correspondent
Aday after 2019 was declared the ‘Year of Tolerance’, a chief judge in Dubai has suggested setting up ‘tolerance sections’ in public prosecution departments and police stations to resolve minor disputes leniently.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared on Saturday that the UAE will mark 2019 as the ‘Year of Tolerance’ to position the country as a global capital for tolerance.
Dr Ali Al Galadari, Chief Judge of the Dubai Appeal Court of Misdemeanours, yesterday on Twitter suggested setting up ‘tolerance sections’ in Public Prosecutions and police stations.
In a tweet in Arabic, Dr Al Galadari said in light of the ‘Year of Tolerance’ he wished that there would be ‘tolerance sections’ in police stations and public prosecutions to resolve all sorts of misdemeanours and petty disputes.
‘Excellent initiative’
Dr Al Galadari yesterday told Gulf News: “Declaring 2019 as the ‘Year of Tolerance’ is an excellent initiative and move by Shaikh Khalifa. There are several minor disputes, misdemeanours and offences between individuals that could be resolved tolerantly and forbearingly without escalating the matter and bringing it forward to court. I suggest that there should be special sections at public prosecution departments and police stations that handle such minor disputes and offences and talk the litigants into resolving the issue amicably and leniently.
“Next year has been announced as the ‘Year of Tolerance’, so individuals are invited to be and could be more tolerant. The ‘tolerance sections’ that I suggested could handle minor disputes that take place between individuals and could convince both parties to be tolerant and forgive each other.”
Shaikh Khalifa said the Year of Tolerance is an extension of the Year of Zayed (2018), as it upholds the values of tolerance and coexistence that Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan established among the people of the UAE.
On the type of misdemeanours that the proposed ‘tolerance sections’ could help resolve amicably, Dr Al Galadari said: “Small offences like beating, cursing, offending [verbally or in writing], breach of trust and other offences or minor disputes that happen during traffic accidents such as insults or physical altercations.
“As per the Criminal Procedures Law, there are several crimes and misdemeanours in which a complainant’s waiver leads to dropping a case or halting legal action.
“A few days ago, a court fined a man Dh10,000 for calling his lifelong friend a bad name following a financial dispute between them. In such instances, the ‘tolerance sections’ could convince the litigants not to be egoistic and rather be tolerant and merciful and that would help resolve the matter amicably and tolerantly rather than going to court.”
Brilliant suggestion
Lawyer Abdullah Al Nasser, of Araa Group of Advocates and Legal Consultants, said: “It is a brilliant and excellent suggestion … I fully support it as it confirms the UAE’s culture of tolerance. Having ‘tolerance sections’ at public prosecution departments and police stations
Shaikh Khalifa said the Year of Tolerance is an extension of the Year of Zayed (2018), as it upholds the values of tolerance and coexistence that Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan established among the people of the UAE.
will help litigants in minor disputes be more tolerant and lenient with each other.
“It is very well known that anger and ego are what push complainants to take their rivals to court just to teach them a lesson.
“It is true that they have the right to take their abusers to court, but being lenient and tolerant is an act of benevolence and uprightness.”
Wherever and whenever there’s room for forgiveness, individuals should be forgiving and tolerant especially in minor disputes and cases involving juveniles said lawyer Al Nasser.