The hall-mark of a good judgement

 
                     The hall mark of a good judgement

No doubt, knowledge of principles of law is a must for a judge. But the knowledge of human psychology brings out the best in proper judgement. Basically human beings are good. It is the wrong habits and circumstances that lead him to wrong path. So to err is human is true. The real fact is that a man may commit a crime, hide it from others, but he cannot hide it from his ever vigilant conscience. If a judge is able to tap that source, the culprit himself will come out with the truth. This is the hall-mark of a good judge. Many a times, confession of his guilt by himself reforms the guilty also.
Once a man lost a precious article. A number of people were arrested, but no one could find out exactly who the thief was. The magistrate of that city was a wise scholar. He planned a beautiful trap for the suspects. He told them, " I have a bell who can tell a thief from an honest man. It has mystical powers. If an innocent man touched the bell it would remain silent, but if the man was guilty it would ring out."
The magistrate got a normal bell placed behind a curtain and asked his assistant to smear it with ink. After some time he took the suspects to the bell and asked each one in turn to extend his hands through the curtain and touch the bell. As each man withdrew his hands, the judge examined them. Every one's hands were stained except for those of one man, who confessed to the theft under questioning. He had not dared touch  the bell for fear it would ring.
What a nice method of judgement !