Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 14: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Sumit Nayyar seeking directions to State to provide proper infrastructure and security in the Court complex Janipur and to take effective measures of ensuring safety and security of the judges, advocates, employees and clients, Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Hasnain Massodi has issued various directions to the Inspector General of Police and Jammu Municipal Corporation.
When the PIL was taken-up, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi appearing for the PIL pointed out that the undertrials are allowed to roam freely within court complex, meet their friends and relatives in corridors, court room and occupy the space meant for free movement of lawyers.
“This practice has led to frequent altercations between the undertrials and the complainants and other prosecution witnesses. Free movement of undertrials brought from the jail to attend trial causes interference in fair and smooth trial”, he further submitted, adding that in the absence of necessary check points at the main entrance of the Court complex any person with ill designs can sneak into the premises and pose threat to the life of all those present in premises. He suggested introduction of electronic sensitive identity cards for the lawyers so that they without undergoing security check and frisking are given entry to the court premises while all others are subjected to security check at the entry point.
He also sought directions to JMC for taking steps to clear bushes/shrubs from the area around the District Court Complex as well as the High Court Complex so that the advocates and the litigants may not face any uncertainty.
After hearing Senior Adv Sunil Sethi with Advocate Ravi Abrol for the PIL whereas Advocate SS Nanda appearing for the JMC, Division Bench directed JMC to clear bushes and shrubs around District Court complex within one week leaving no room for any mischief or threat to the security of officers and staff as also lawyers, their staff and the litigant public.
Division Bench also directed that Principal District & Sessions Judge Jammu shall with the assistance of incharge judicial lock-up take all necessary steps to make the judicial lock-up at District Court Complex Jammu functional and ensure that under trials brought in custody to attend the trial are on their arrival in the complex taken to judicial lockup and thereafter produced before the Court as and when their case is called.
Division Bench also directed Inspector General of Police Security to examine the suggestion of providing electronic sensitive identity cards to the lawyers and submit his report indicating the modalities involved and steps required to be taken to make such facility available to the lawyers, so that they can pass through security check points without frisking. Court also directed IGP Security to propose steps to be taken for improving overall security of District Court Complex including setting-up of security check points at the main entrance.
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