File roadmap for security in state's courts, HC asks UP govt

A bench comprising justices Sudhir Agarwal and Suneet Kumar, while directing the authorities to file the roadmap, fixed January 16 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) Avanish Awasthi and Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh were present in the court on Thursday.

It maybe recalled that taking suo-motu (on its own) cognisance of an attack in the chief judicial magistrate's (CJM) courtroom in Bijnor on December 17, in which one person was killed and another injured, the high court had summoned the Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary (home) and DGP to apprise it of a plan to strengthen the security of the court premises in the state.

The chief justice of the court, while taking suo-motu cognisance of the incident, had constituted a special bench comprising justices Agarwal and Kumar.

The incident took place in the CJM, Bijnor's court on December 17, while the court was in function. Two accused, who were produced before the court, were fired at by three persons, resulting in the death of one of them and causing injury to a court employee -- Moharrir.

The CJM had send a report in this regard to the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court.

The bench had said, "It seems there is a complete failure of law and order inside the court premises in the state. The most incompetent police professionals are deployed for the security of the court premises in the state. Is the government serious about the courts' security? Are top officials even aware of these incidents, which happened in the recent past in different courts of Uttar Pradesh?"

On Thursday, the bench told the additional advocate general that strengthening court security in the state was an issue since 2008 but not much was done. If the state government could not provide adequate security on the court premises, then the bench said it would ask the Centre to deploy central forces for it.

It maybe recalled that Shahnawaz, who was killed in the Bijnor incident, was an accused in the murder case of property dealer and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Haji Ehsaan and his nephew Shadab, who were killed in Najibabad on May 28 last year.

The police had arrested Danish, Shahnawaz and shooter Abdul Jabbar in connection with the killings. On December 17, Shahnawaz was brought from Tihar Jail in New Delhi to the CJM's court for a hearing.