DB directives in PIL regarding Security of Court

18/05/2018

Jammu, May 17: In a Public Interest Litigation filed by Sumit Nayyar seeking security of Court complex and cleaning and sanitation work for the entire High Court Complex as well as the District Court Complex.
A Division Bench of State High Court Comprising Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sanjay Kumar Gupta after hearing Sr. Adv Sunil Sethi with Adv Sumit Nayyar for the PIL, issued various directions.
When the matter was taken up today, Division Bench observed that counsel for the respondents submitted that out of an amount of Rs. 627.38 lakhs, only a sum of Rs.100 lakhs has been sanctioned and released to the Public Works (R&B) Department, and Public Works (R&B) Department has already started the construction of the boundary wall, which is ten feet in height around the High Court and District Courts Complex. It is further submitted that 300 meters of boundary wall has already been constructed and Mr. Sudhir Shah, Chief Engineer, PW(R&B) Department, who is present before this Court states that the remaining work of construction of the boundary wall shall be completed within a period of three months from today. However, senior counsel for the petitioner submits that the respondents have installed only 24 CCTV cameras in the High Court Complex at Jammu and no CCTV camera has been installed in the District Courts Complex, Jammu where more than 100 CCTV cameras have to be installed. They have not installed even a single CCTV camera in the District Courts Complex, Jammu where according to the report of the respondents themselves, more than 100 CCTV cameras are required to be installed.
DB further observed that it is further submitted by the senior counsel for the petitioner that fire extinguishers have also not been installed. Neither judicial lock-ups have been constructed nor any separate room for storage of ammunition has been constructed, even the machine for swiping the electronic security cards has not been installed. It is also urged by the learned senior counsel that the baggage scanner is also not installed in District Courts Premises. In response, Mr. Rohit Kapoor, learned Additional Advocate General along with Chief Prosecuting Officer, Mr. Aliq Ahmed Dar states that two scanners have already been sanctioned and have been earmarked for the purpose.
Additional Advocate General on the instructions of Chief Prosecution Officer submits that the X-ray baggage scanners shall be installed within a period of one month from today at the points from where the litigants and the advocates enter in the District Courts premises. With regard to remaining aspects, which are mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, DB asked Additional Advocate General shall seek instructions and make a statement in this regard.
DB further observed that Senior Counsel for the petitioner at this stage submits that some senior citizens and differently abled persons use facility of lift in the High Court premises. However, on account of power failure at several times, the aforesaid lift gets stuck up in the absence of power back-up and, therefore, an Inverter needs to be provided to make the lift functional so that the litigants do not get stuck up in the lift.
Upon this Division Bench directed Chief Engineer, Mechanical Division of the State Government to ensure that an Inverter is installed within a period of 15 days from today in order to ensure smooth functioning of the lift. JNF

Photo Gallery

BSE Sensex

NSE Nifty