CISF may take over security of Delhi courts

The security of courts in the national Capital might soon be a mandate of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Top level sources in the force told DNA that after “successfully” guarding the Madras High Court, the CISF may now find itself stationed at various Delhi courts. Nothing, however, has been finalised as of now.

An undertrial was shot at and killed inside the Rohini court complex on Monday. This was not the first time that a court in Delhi witnessed such an incident. In April, a shootout had left the Rohini court complex rattled. In 2015, three men opened fire inside a court room at the Karkardooma court, killing a Delhi Police constable and critically wounding an undertrial.

“Our deployment at the Madras High Court has received a positive response. The hooliganism and nuisance that was reported at times have witnessed a drastic curb. The premise has also witnessed a tighter security ring and a hawk-eye vigil. If asked to secure Delhi courts, the force will make a proposal accordingly,” a senior officer said.

“If deployed, the CISF will demarcate fixed entry-exit points, install baggage scanners, and get cameras installed to get rid of dark zones. This will step up the security manifold,” the officer said.

Security of the Madras High Court landed in CISF’s lap in 2015, following a suo motu PIL on two incidents that had raised serious concerns about the arrangements at the court premises. A group of lawyers had laid siege to the bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, sporting black flags and placards and demanding that Tamil be declared the official language of the High Court.

Former Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul then insisted on getting the court building secured by the CISF, though the state government objected to it and went up to the Supreme Court. It lost the case. A series of orders extended the cover periodically, by either a year or six months.