The Special Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court will remain cordoned off and all approach roads sealed in view of the verdict on the Ayodhya title suits, scheduled to be delivered at 3.30 p.m. on Thursday. Only those whose case is registered for Thursday, the Advocate-General, government counsel and senior advocates will be allowed entry into the court premises.
Notwithstanding the high alert in Uttar Pradesh, an official spokesman here denied that curfew had been imposed anywhere in the State, or that the boundaries of any district had been sealed.
Home Secretary Anand Kumar said on Wednesday that security arrangements had been made to ward off any threat to the law and order situation.
Helpline numbers
A control room has been set up in the office of the Director-General of Police in Lucknow, where the public can give information about unlawful activities. The information can be given on the following telephone numbers: 0522-2206901 (landline), 9454402508, 9454402509, 9454402510 (CUG numbers ), 9307100100 and 9984100100 (helpline numbers).
Since the judgment will be delivered in Lucknow, the city has been divided into eight zones and 19 sectors and special security arrangements have been made for High Court judges.
The sectors and zones would be manned by 20 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces (CPF), 800 constables, 150 inspectors and 30 officers, in addition to Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel. A flag march was conducted by the security forces in the sensitive pockets of the city on Wednesday.
Lucknow District Magistrate, Anil Sagar, and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Rajeev Krishna, told journalists that strict security would be in place at court number 21, where the verdict would be pronounced.
Mobile phones will not be allowed inside the court premises.
About 1,450 persons have been detained here and 125 persons with questionable credentials have been asked to surrender their arms. A temporary jail has been set up near Gosainganj on the outskirts of Lucknow.
No orders have been issued for the closure of schools, colleges, markets and malls on Thursday, Mr. Sagar clarified. However, liquor and firecracker shops would remain closed.
The government-owned Kaiserbagh bus station, which is in proximity to the High Court, will remain closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the day of the verdict. Mr. Sagar added that a close watch would be kept on rumour mongers and mischief makers.
