Courtroom Security Is A Concern For The Chief Justice Of India After A Shooting In Delhi's Rohini Courtroom

NAME OF THE CASE AND CORAM

• Case Name: Rohini courtroom incident
• Coram: CJI NV Ramana

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Emphasis has to be placed on the protection of the judicial officers due to an increase in courtroom accidents.
• Formation of a special force to safeguard judicial officials, lawyers, and people in courts.

CASE RELEVANCE

• NV Ramana, the current Chief Justice of India, has expressed alarm about the gun incident at Rohini Court Complex on Friday. In this regard, he engaged with the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and instructed him to speak with both the police and the Bar to make sure that the court's operations are not disrupted.
• Nevertheless, the occurrence at Rohini Court, one of Delhi's busiest trial courts, has sparked numerous major concerns about the safety and security of judges and lawyers, emphasizing the necessity for a separate judicial police unit.
• Four separate incidences of gunfire have occurred within the Rohini Court complex in the last five years. According to sources, the judge who was hearing the case at the time of the incident was sent to the hospital with low blood pressure.
• The shooting occurred months after Dhanbad Judge Uttam Anand was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Following these, demands were made for the formation of a special force to safeguard judicial officers, advocates, and courts. The central government recently notified the Supreme Court that it was the responsibility of state governments to provide security to judges and court facilities.
• CJI NV Ramana took Suo motu cognizance of the Dhanbad judge case and advocated that all judges be given specialized security. The protection of court institutions is better entrusted to states, as it requires every day communication and collaboration with the local police," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta presented before a CJI-led bench. Local police deployment was recommended from a logistical standpoint. There may be challenges that would be unique to each region. But the state police would be more sufficient to handle criminal surveillance and threat intelligence.
• Security was tight both at the security gates and within the court, according to police. Since the assailants were dressed in lawyer's clothes, sufficient checking didn't happen. They don't inspect lawyers as often after the Tis Hazari episode, when a lawyer slapped a Delhi cop, according to an official.

Hope you enjoyed reading this. You may now be able to answer the following questions, let us know in the comments section

• It is necessary to form a special force to safeguard judicial officers?
• Should the protection of Judicial officers be entrusted to the Central Authorities rather than the state?