Following the shocking shootout inside the Rohini Court Complex, leading to death of three people and injury to a woman lawyer, the Delhi High Court was moved by a petition that sought directions to the Police Commissioner of Delhi as well as the Bar Council of Delhi, to take requisite measures to ensure safety and security of District Courts in the national capital.
Filed by one Deepa Joseph through Advocates Robin Raju and Blessan Mathews, the plea averred, “The incident that happened on Friday at Rohini Court, was truly well-planned. The assailants posed as lawyers and were present inside the court room before the dreaded gangster was produced before the Court. The ease with which the assailants entered the court premises shows that they were well aware that it is easy to get access into the court by donning a lawyers attire.”
Alleging that the incident is not the first-of-its-kind and that similar incidents have happened repeatedly over the recent past in various District Courts across the national capital, the plea suggested certain directions that could be passed to ensure security of District Courts, which inter-alia includes strict instructions to all the police personnel deployed at court entrances to ensure that they check the ID Cards of each and every lawyer who enters the court premises; as also to make the level of security and frisking of lawyers at par with the Delhi High Court and the Apex Court, and to ponder over the decision on installation of biometric punching device outside the entrance gates of all the Courts.
The plea further suggested strict disciplinary action against those officers, who do not implement the direction with utmost diligence and seriousness. Keeping in view Article 21 of the Constitution, which secures right to life to all citizens, the plea suggested that BCD should issue an advisory to all Delhi District Bar Associations to ask members of their Bars to cooperate with police personnel at the main entrance of courts.
“Recurrent incidents of shootouts in court premises is causing serious fear in the minds of petitioners and thousands of other fellow legal professionals practising in District courts of Delhi,” noted the petition.
On September 24, wanted gangster Jitender alias Gogi was shot inside the Rohini Court by assailants, who entered the court premises in the guise of lawyers. The incident happened in Rohini Courtroom, when Gogi was presented before the judge. The Delhi Police Special Cell killed the two attackers, who are believed to be from the rival Tillu Tajpuria gang.
Around 35-40 rounds were fired in the ensuing shootout, which left three people dead and one woman lawyer injured. Following the incident, Chief Justice (CJI) N.V. Ramana expressed deep concern at the incident and advised the Delhi High Court Chief Justice him to talk to both police and Bar to ensure that the functioning of court is not effected. The matter of safety and security of Court Complexes and judicial personnel is already under consideration by the Apex Court.
Read the petition here:
Deepa-Joseph