Jammu & Kashmir High Court Asks Home Ministry To Deploy CAPF To Secure Court Premises theprint.in

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has asked the Union Home Ministry to urgently consider deploying the central armed police force for securing both its wings and district courts in the newly created union territory. Taking suo moto cognizance of some incidents in Jammu and Srinagar wings of the high court over the past few months, a division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Bindal issued a notice to the government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre on the issue of security. The court also sought details of all circulars issued by the Union Home Ministry to Jammu and Kashmir on declaring both wings of the high court and district courts in the union territory as “high-security zones”.

The bench in the notice also asked the Home Ministry to urgently consider the deployment of a central armed police force to provide security to both wings of the High Court as well as the district courts in the union territory. Making some severe observations, the bench said, “Unfortunately, in this court, we are experiencing an unusual and very serious situation.” Taking note of the Jammu Bar Association abstaining from work, the court said the reports from district judges in Jammu province showed that the call for abstention has been used by certain unruly elements to not only abstain from work but indulge in illegal activities to the extent of attempting to block the high court’s main gate.