Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde revealed in open court on Wednesday that he has asked the government to provide a “separate and dedicated cadre” of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for security cover to court complexes across the country.
The CJI said such a force would thwart sudden spurts of violence like the one recently seen at the Tis Hazari court complex between lawyers and the police.
The court took into consideration a suggestion made by amicus curiae and senior advocate Siddharth Luthra that the lawyer community should also be taken on board while taking decisions in this regard. The three-judge Bench, also comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant, issued notice to the Bar Council of India (BCI) to respond in two weeks.
The development came while hearing a writ petition filed by Pradyuman Bisht in 2015 to improve security in courts and tribunals by installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
In March 2017, the apex court directed that CCTV cameras be installed in courts and important locations of court complexes in at least two districts in every State and Union Territory. The monitor of these cameras should be placed in the chamber of the District and Session Judge concerned.
The apex court had, in its order, made it clear that footage from the cameras would not be made available to the public under the Right to Information Act or without the permission of the high court concerned.
The court had also considered the issue of CCTV cameras in tribunals. It had directed the installation of cameras in subordinate courts in a phased manner.
Published - January 08, 2020 04:24 pm IST
