The Literature Times: What inspired you to write Court Tales: Stories of a Lawyer’s Journey, and what made you turn your courtroom experiences into a collection of stories?
M. S. Khan: When you spend years in criminal courts, you realise that files never tell the whole story, people do. I have watched lives change in a single hearing, seen ordinary men and women carry extraordinary burdens, and felt how a small procedural lapse can have huge human consequences. Court Tales grew out of the urge to capture that world before it vanished into dusty record rooms.
Over time I began to feel that judgments and orders reach only a limited audience, while stories can travel much further. I wanted to take the texture of real cases, the anxiety of bail hearings, the silence before a verdict, the small acts of courage, and give them a narrative shape that readers outside the profession could enter and understand.
The Literature Times: Your book highlights the human side of the legal system. Why do you think it is important for readers to understand the emotions behind courtroom proceedings?
M. S. Khan: Most people see the justice system as a set of laws, sections, and procedures; they rarely see the fear in a client’s eyes or the tension in a family waiting outside the courtroom. If we ignore that emotional layer, we miss why the law matters at all. Behind every “case title” there is someone’s home, reputation, freedom or dignity on the line.
By bringing readers close to those emotions, I hope they see that justice is not an abstract concept but a lived experience. When you feel the trembling hand signing a vakalatnama or the silence in a lock-up after a remand order, you start asking deeper questions about fairness, prejudice, and the kind of society we are building.
The Literature Times: As a criminal lawyer handling complex cases under laws such as the UAPA and MCOCA, how have your professional experiences shaped the narratives in this book?
M. S. Khan: Working on cases under UAPA, MCOCA and similar statutes forces you to confront the sharp edges of State power and the vulnerability of the individuals. The stakes are high—long incarceration, stigma that never really fades, and a very demanding evidentiary threshold. Those experiences naturally seep into my stories: the careful reading of case diaries, the weight of a conspiracy charge, the difference between suspicion and proof.
In Court Tales, you will find the various stages of a case—the investigation, cognizance, framing of charge, trial, woven into the narrative, but always through the eyes of people living through them. I wanted the reader to feel what it means when a section is added, a remand is extended, or a discharge is argued, without turning the book into a textbook.
The Literature Times: The stories in Court Tales explore themes of justice, prejudice, and truth. Which of these themes resonates with you the most, and why?
M. S. Khan: All three are central to criminal practice, but if I had to choose, I would say justice through the lens of prejudice resonates the most with me. I have seen how a name, a religion, a neighbourhood, or even a profession can quietly influence how a person is perceived even before any evidence is tested.
My stories keep returning to that tension: can we reach truth when we start with assumptions? Many characters in Court Tales stand at that crossroads, some judged too quickly, some underestimated, some unexpectedly dignified in crisis. I want readers to feel that journey and ask themselves not only “Was justice done?” but also “What hidden biases did we carry into the courtroom?”.
The Literature Times: Without revealing too much, is there a particular story in the book that holds special significance for you? What makes it memorable?
M. S. Khan: Yes, there is one story that follows an accused through the long arc from first arrest to eventual discharge. It is inspired by a real matter where the case file looked overwhelming, but a patient reading of the record showed how fragile the foundation really was.
What makes that story special to me is not only the legal victory but the quiet human moments around it—the family’s changing hope, the way neighbours behave, and the transformation in the accused himself over those months. When the legal reasoning finally clicks into place, it feels less like “winning a case” and more like restoring balance to one life that had tilted too far .
The Literature Times: Your writing bridges legal knowledge with storytelling. How do you balance legal accuracy with engaging narrative for readers from non-legal backgrounds?
M. S. Khan: In court we are trained to speak in sections and citations; in stories the reader needs faces, feelings, and scenes. My approach is to start with the human moments- a knock on the door for arrest, a tense meeting with counsel, and then gently layer the law into it. I keep the legal core accurate, but I avoid jargon unless it is necessary, and whenever a term appears, I try to show its impact rather than just mention its number.
For foreign or non-legal readers, I treat the law almost like a character: I introduce it, explain what it can do, and show how it shapes the plot. If at any point legal detail threatens to slow down the story, I ask myself, “Is this necessary for the emotional truth of the scene?” If not, it stays in the lawyer’s file, not on the page.
The Literature Times: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about the Indian justice system and the work of criminal lawyers?
M. S. Khan: One common misconception is that criminal lawyers “defend crime” rather than defend the process. People sometimes forget that our role is to ensure that the State follows the law, that evidence is properly tested, and that rights are not sacrificed to convenience. Another misconception is that cases are decided overnight; in reality, justice often moves slowly, and that slowness has a deep human cost.
There is also a tendency to imagine the system as either completely corrupt or completely perfect. The truth lies somewhere in between: there are structural problems, but there are also judges, lawyers, and staff trying every day to do the right thing within those constraints. Through Court Tales, I want readers to see that complexity, its frustrations, but also its quiet dignity.
The Literature Times: As someone who mentors young lawyers, what advice would you give aspiring advocates who wish to build a meaningful and ethical legal career?
M. S. Khan: My first advice is very simple: respect the file and respect the person behind the file . Read your brief fully, understand the facts before the law, and never treat any case as “small” just because the stakes look modest on paper. For the client, it may be the biggest battle of their life.
Secondly, cultivate discipline—reach court on time, be prepared, and maintain courtroom decorum even when no one seems to be watching . Ethics is not only about big decisions; it is also about everyday habits: not promising what you cannot deliver, not exploiting fear, and remembering that law is ultimately a public service. If you carry empathy and integrity throughout your practice, your successes will feel meaningful, not just impressive.
The Literature Times: What do you hope readers will take away from Court Tales: Stories of a Lawyer’s Journey after turning the final page?
M. S. Khan: I hope they walk away with a more intimate understanding of what “a case” really means in real life—beyond headlines and snippets. If, after reading the book, someone pauses before judging an accused too quickly, or feels a little more compassion for those standing in the dock, I would consider that a quiet success.
I also hope the book sparks curiosity about the law itself: how charges are framed, how evidence is weighed, and how much human judgment goes into every decision . If readers finish the last story with a mix of empathy, unease, and hope, then the journey of Court Tales has done its work.
The Literature Times: Can readers expect more books from you in the future? Are there any upcoming writing projects or legal topics you are eager to explore?
M.S.Khan: Yes, absolutely. Court Tales is only the beginning of a larger attempt to document the lived world of Indian criminal courts through fiction. I am already working on the next book in the series, which follows a single case more closely—from the first FIR to the final order—and goes deeper into how families, police, and lawyers evolve over that period.
Beyond that, I am interested in exploring stories around special statutes like UAPA and NDPS, and also quieter, everyday matters that never make it to the front page but reveal a lot about our society. As long as there are court corridors to walk and files to open, I suspect there will be more stories waiting to be written.
