: The Madras High Court Bench here on Friday converted news reports of stone-pelting by unknown miscreants on the house of a district judge in Ramanathapuram on Thursday into a suo motu public interest litigation petition and directed the Home Secretary as well as the Director General of Police to provide adequate security to all judicial officers in the State.
A Division Bench of Justices S. Tamilvanan and V.S. Ravi ordered that security be strengthened, especially to judges who were dealing with sensitive cases. It also directed the Home Secretary, the DGP as well as the Ramanathapuram Superintendent of Police to file a detailed report by March 9 listing out action taken by them pursuant to the attack.
Wondering how the intelligence wing of the Police Department could have failed to prevent the attack by not gathering advance information, the Bench pointed out that the severity of the attack was so much that a glass splinter from a windowpane, that broke during the stone-pelting, had caused a cut injury below the right eye of the district judge M. Prakasan.
“People have faith and confidence in courts towards safeguarding their rights. If safety is not available even to the District and Sessions Judge, Fast Track Mahila Court, at his residence, we cannot imagine what would be the fate of ordinary people approaching the court for their personal safety and for safeguarding their rights,” the Division Bench observed.
Mr. Justice Tamilvanan also said: “Independence of judiciary is one of the basic features of our Constitution and the same is a prerequisite to maintain rule of law and also for the survival of democracy… The unpleasant and sensitive news published in various popular newspapers today… is a serious threat to the independence of judiciary.”
