NEW DELHI: To strengthen the security arrangements of all the seven district courts in the national capital, 997 security personnel, including those from the local police and CAPF, have been deployed, the Delhi High Court has been informed. In a status report filed before the high court, the Delhi Police also said more than 2,700 CCTVs, 85 baggage scanners, 242 hand-held metal detectors and 146 door-frame metal detectors have been installed in the district courts.
The report was filed in relation to the high court’s suo motu case and a petition on the safety and security on the court premises, following the September 24 shootout in a courtroom in the Rohini district court that killed three people.
On December 13, a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad asked for a copy of the status report to be handed over to all the parties, including the president of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, the presidents of all the district bar associations and other stakeholders, to enable them to offer their comments in respect of any other security measures.
The high court earlier directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to undertake review of the security arrangements on the court premises, based on a security audit carried out by a team of experts. Delhi Police said that as on November 30, a total of 997 security personnel were deployed in the district courts as opposed to 783 on October 26, 2021. The figure includes 493 security staff, 243 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel and 261 police personnel, it said.
A total of 313 security personnel are also present at the high court, besides several door-frame and hand-held metal detectors, CCTVs and other facilities, the report added.