Plenty of changes have taken place in the Supreme Court over the last two decades. Head, Legal Registry S. Kathiarasan, who has been working there since 1979, shares many amusing stories of the “good old days” and much more.

In the past, we had to queue up to collect our pay. I remember how the Sikh moneylenders used to stand at the exits of our buildings, waiting to catch their ‘clients’ on pay day. Thanks to the Cooperative Society, many survived! Today, everything has gone paperless and the moneylenders are also gone!” said Kathi.

The working environment has changed a lot too. He recalled, “Back then, the Registry premises was not air-conditioned, so we had to cool ourselves using the overhead and standing fans. We had to place paperweights of all sorts on our documents.

“During lunchtime, quite a few of our staff, including myself, would go over to the National Registration Office then located at Colombo Court to cool ourselves in the air-conditioned environment.”

Gone also are the many perils of working in an old building. Said Kathi, “Previously, a colleague and I often had to come to the rescue of people stuck in the old lifts at the old Supreme Court building. Those lifts had collapsible gates which often got jammed when overloaded. When we heard the alarm sound, we would rush over and use a long wooden ruler to release the lever to open the gates.

“There was also a routine flooding of the rooftop ‘gully drains’ whenever there was a heavy downpour. Some of us would don raincoats and climb up the roof in the rain to remove the dried leaves that clogged the drains.”

Today, while Kathi is glad that the Supreme Court has upgraded its buildings, facilities and systems over the years, he cherishes all these fond memories. And when his department recently held a mini story-writing competition, he recounted these interesting experiences and inevitably won the top prize!

From clerk to division head
Armed with only an O-level certificate in 1967, Kathi first joined the Civil Service as a clerk in the Auditor-General’s office. Kathi remained there until mid-1979 when he was posted to the Supreme Court. Today, Kathi is Head of the Legal Registry.

Busy but loving it
The Legal Registry has about 50 staff working in six different sections. It is responsible for processing, registering and safekeeping all documents and records, as well as making them available for court users.

As Head of the Legal Registry, Kathi finds himself constantly hard-pressed for time. Managing and deploying staff, supervising their appraisals, preparing budget papers, communicating policies and getting feedback from staff are just a few of the multiple tasks he has to juggle. Kathi is also a member of the management team and sits on at least half a dozen committees.

Over the years, Kathi has also groomed many officers. Besides passing on knowledge, he wants to impart leadership skills as well as values such as honesty and integrity. The 55-year-old continues to be a fine role model for younger staff today.

Kathi appreciates the many opportunities for civil servants to learn and upgrade their skills and knowledge. Age is not a barrier for him — he obtained his Diploma in Para Legal Studies when he was 53, sponsored by the Supreme Court.

Sharing what has been his driving force all this while, he said, “It was not easy getting a job back then. And when I got one, I thought I should work honestly for what I was paid. That has been in my blood all along. It just kept me going and going, and I hope I can still keep on going and going.”