Family Court's Unwritten Rules

I interned at a Family Court in Delhi, and honestly, no textbook prepared me for what I saw. In a case of matrimonial dispute, the judge asked the lawyer why they hadn't submitted the wife's income proof in the court documents. The lawyer stammered, and I was about to write it off as another procedural law mess. But then the judge dropped a bombshell - they had a set of "standard" questions they asked in every case, which weren't mentioned in the pleadings or the law book. It was their own checklist to ensure they didn't miss any crucial info. My prof would call it a 'common law' or 'judge-made law'. But trust me, it's a secret code only known to Family Court judges.