Rohini court shootout: Plea in Delhi HC seeks directions to Bar Council, Police over security

By Amiya Kumar Kushwaha
New Delhi [India], September 25 : A petition was filed in Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking direction to authorities concerned to take requisite measures to ensure the safety and security of District Courts of Delhi in the wake of the shocking and gory shootout inside the Rohini Court on Friday afternoon.
The petitioner urged the court to direct respondents-Commissioner of Police and
Bar Council of Delhi- to consider implementing the suggestions given by the petitioner that includes instructing all the police personnel at court entrances to check Identity Cards of every lawyer who enters the court premises.
The petitioner urged the court to direct the respondents to take requisite measures that ensure the safety and security of the District Courts of Delhi.
The petition was filed by lawyer Deepa Joseph through lawyers Robin Raju and Blessan Mathews.
The petitioner has sought to consider the petition as a representation and take needful steps expeditiously.
It also sought direction from police to make the level of security and frisking of lawyers at par with the High Court of Delhi and Supreme Court of India and to think about making a decision regarding installing biometric punching devices outside the entrance gates of all the Courts.
The petitioner also sought that police may be directed to take disciplinary action against those officers who do not implement this direction with utmost diligence and seriousness.
The petitioner sought to issue direction to BCD to issue an advisory to all the District Bar Associations in Delhi recommending members from the Bar to co-operate with Police personnel at the main entrance of courts.
The petitioner said that she was shocked that the district courts where she and thousands of fellow advocates visit on daily basis have become so unsafe and easy terrain for gangsters to settle scores with each other. The concern for the Petitioner was that the, unlike the past, this time a shocking shootout has happened inside the court room of a district court of the Capital of India. and a young legal professional has also got severely injured in the scary incident.
"This shootout inside the court again puts a big question mark on the safety and security of judges, lawyers and litigants inside the district courts in Delhi," the petitioner said.
The petitioner said that she is filing the instant Writ as she is also from the legal fraternity and has a genuine apprehension about visiting district courts in Delhi after seeing shocking visuals and videos of the incident that were circulating on social media throughout the day.
The Petitioner claimed that she was mentally jolted by the horrifying images of Friday.
The petitioner also mentioned incidents of shooting in the Dwarka Court, a firing near the Saket Court in May 2019 and earlier in 2017, an undertrial was killed after being shot inside the Rohini Court Complex.
"A shocking incident similar in line to the incident in Rohini Court was the killing of a Delhi Police head constable when four armed assailants open fired inside a courtroom at Karkardooma Court Complex in the year 2015," the petition said.
"The incident that has happened on Friday, at Rohini Court, was truly well planned," added the petition.
The assailants posed as lawyers and were present inside the courtroom before the dreaded gangster was produced before the Court. The ease with which the assailants entered into the court premises in the attire shows that they were well aware that it is easy to get access into the court by being in a lawyer's attire.
"As someone who visits the district courts in Delhi has also seen how the Police personnel present at the court entrances more often than not step back from frisking a person who is in a lawyers attire," the petitioner said.
"The point that the petitioner wishes to highlight is that the level of frisking of lawyers also needs to be made at the same level as in the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India. And in the future a decision can also be taken regarding installing a biometric punching device outside the entrance gates of all the courts," the plea said.
"There may be a section of lawyers who will not appreciate this suggestion of the petitioner, but the petitioner is making this suggestion considering the overall safety and security of judges, lawyers, court staff and litigants as a whole.," added the plea.