Tis Hazari incident stokes fresh fear among lawyers
NEW DELHI: Security for lawyers and security among lawyers are the main concerns of the lower courts in the national capital with the latest incident of firing between two lawyer groups after a heated exchange at the Tis Hazari Court in the city.
On April 21, the Saket court complex witnessed a scene of a debarred lawyer allegedly firing multiple gunshots at a woman who reportedly owed him money. In another incident, on April 1, an advocate namely Virender Narwal (50) was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne men in Delhi’s Dwarka.
Following this, a petition was moved in Delhi High Court seeking to ensure a safe atmosphere in Delhi for lawyers to practise through the enactment of the Advocates Protection Act. Advocate Robin Raju, representing the petitioners, informed the court that Rajasthan has already enacted such a law. Talking to this newspaper, Raju said that these are different issues, while generally expressing concern about the overall court security.
“Overall the security of the courts has to be ensured. Not just advocates or litigants, but anybody who is coming to the court should feel safe. There has to be a safe atmosphere in lower courts same like one feels in high court or Supreme Court. There is a sense of safety you can feel. That same sense of safety should be also there in the lower courts,” he said.
As per the police submission before the high court, in order to strengthen the security arrangements of all the seven district courts in the national capital, 997 security personnel, including those derived from the local police and the central armed police forces (CAPF), were deployed to secure them.
Secretary general of the North Delhi Lawyers’ Association, Vineet Jindal, said the court security in courts is improving, despite the unfortunate incidents. “These incidents are reminders to ensure the safety of the lower courts in the national capital. Such incidents would affect the fraternity.”
In the past two years, a number of other restrictions have been introduced, such as allowing only authorized vehicles bearing stickers or ID cards to enter court complexes. These measures were intended to bolster security at court facilities and prevent further violent incidents from taking place. However, quite clearly, the situation has not improved to any discernible extent at the seven district courts in the city – Tis Hazari, Rohini, Saket, Dwarka, Karkardooma, Rouse Avenue and Patiala House Court.