ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with practices of doubting in two institutional settings found in the Himachal Pradesh region of the Indian Himalayas, which are both concerned with the process of judging. It argues the temple consultations during which village deities, through their institutional mediums, are asked to arbitrate local conflicts and to give their verdict on people's misconduct. These ritual procedures are then compared to the ways in which the techniques of doubting and proving are used in Indian criminal trials as well as in judges' rulings. The chapter presents the practice of doubting and proving in the context of medium consultations. At the time of ritual consultations a village deity is made part of an interactional setting within which its presence is enacted by its human medium. The prosecutor's witnesses are also cross-examined by the defence lawyer. In cases where they have turned hostile, the lawyer will simply ask them some complementary questions.
