ii.High Court of Bhutan

v.Gate

x.Pillars

Pillars or kachhens in the Courtroom depicts that the witness should be straight and firm like the kachhens, which even under the weight of the whole edifice stands straight. It shows that although the weight of truth is as heavy as that of the edifice, the witness should be able to support the weight and be straight as the column.

The upper designs of the Kachhen (Gyalpo Den Zhu) signifies that the upright King commands impartially from the throne, the minister executes the command, the Queens submit reverently and obediently, the tusk of the elephant aspires, the snake that signifies evil hides in its hole.

The whole structure depicts that the command of the King descends from the pure mountains and cannot be retracted. Similarly the Court Judgement should be like a waterfall. Once the due process has been completed and the judgment rendered, it should not be altered. (Principle of Res Judicata).

xi.Court Crest

The Court Crest, enclosed in a circle is composed of a Khorlo placed above a lotus. It is surmounted by a jewel and framed by two dragons. The King, the Country and the People are based on the Rule of Law symbolized by the Golden Yoke (sergyi nyashing) and a Silken Knot (dargye duephue). The Golden Yoke represents the temporal laws and the Silken Knot represents the secular laws. His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo, symbolized by the wheel is the supreme head of this Dual System (Lug Nye).

The Chakra or wheel symbolizes the power and wisdom of His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo and His Majesty's victory over all outer, inner and secret adversaries. “The spokes of the wheel are the rules of pure conduct; justice is uniform of their length; wisdom is the tyre; modesty and thoughtfulness are the hub in which the immovable axle of truth is fixed.

The wheel is placed within a mirror representing transparency and clarity with three types of calculating pebbles (Deu Kar, ngag and thra Sum) representing proved, disproved and not proved. The mirror is encompassed by two dragons facing each other. The two dragons (male and female) signify the name of the Kingdom (Druk).

The parasol (gDugs) protects from the blazing heat of the sun, and the coolness of its shade symbolizes protection from the heat of suffering, desire, obstacles, illnesses harmful forces and other malevolent influences. It also symbolizes victory. The wheel, and the mirror are placed upon a lotus, which blossoms unstained from the watery mire. The lotus denotes purity.

The Court Crest is encircled by vajras, signifying indestructibility and the principle of res-judicata.(Refer to the article on ( The Royal Court of Justice Crest )

xii.Masks

i.The mask of the Lord of Purgatory(Lord of Dead) represents a Judge. He hears the submission of the accused, prosecutor and the defence lawyer and pass a reasoned judgement. Refer for further reading ( The Influence of Buddhism on the Bhutanese Trial System )