CHENNAI: Expressing concern over the murder of an accused at the entrance of the combined district court complex in Tirunelveli, the Madras High Court on Friday took suo motu cognizance of the matter and directed the state government to provide security in all courts in the state. “Advocates have panicked (due to the murder). They say they have no protection,” a division bench of justices SM Subramaniam and C Kumarappan remarked.
The bench directed the state government to provide security at the gates of the courts and judges’ quarters by deploying armed police personnel as an interim measure.
Questioning why the police personnel present in the vicinity failed to prevent the incident, the bench said the men in uniform cannot be insensitive, and asked what would have been the situation had it occurred on court premises or in a court hall.
It directed the state government to file a report on Saturday on the incident and why the police did not prevent it, and adjourned the case. State public prosecutor Hasan Mohamed Jinna, representing the police, informed the court that the deceased was a notorious criminal and the incident was a revenge murder. He told the court that the police immediately chased and nabbed one of the accused.
He also said that security personnel have already been deployed around courts in the districts. Additional advocate general J Ravindran, representing the government, submitted that the DGP had held a meeting with heads of the bar associations, as per an earlier direction of the court, to discuss the modalities for putting in place comprehensive security measures at courts to avert any attack on lawyers.
Hearing on Saturday
The HC directed the govt to file a report on Saturday on the incident and why the police did not prevent it, and adjourned the case