85% courts in MP lack security arrangements

The Madhya Pradesh Judges Association has said that there should be permanent police outposts and adequate force to ensure the safety of judges and other court staff at every district court in the state.

The assertion came after the association learned that around 85 per cent of the district and session courts in Madhya Pradesh do not have police outposts, either permanent or temporary for security purposes.

Out of the 52 district courts in the state, Dewas district court has a permanent police outpost and seven have temporary outposts namely -- in Jabalpur, Bhopal, Damoh, Panna, Sagar, Shivpuri and Singrauli.

In an affidavit, the Madhya Pradesh Police have informed the High Court that only Dewas district court has a permanent police outpost and as many as eight police personnel of the district force and five home guards are deployed.

The state police further informed that a maximum of 29 people have been deployed at the temporary outpost in Jabalpur district court premises, consisting of 24 personnel of district force and five from special security force. Only three personnel of district force are deployed at Bhopal district court's temporary outpost.

In its affidavit, the state police told the court that at the outpost at Damoh district court premises, one personnel of district police and five from homeguard are deployed. Similarly, five personnel of the special force are deployed at Panna district court.

At the outpost of Sagar district court, four personnel of district force have been deployed. In Shivpuri, five personnel of district police are deployed and the temporary police outpost in Singrauli district court, one personnel of the special district force and one of homeguards is deployed.

This submission of the state police came in response to a petition filed in the High Court regarding the security and safety of the judges and other court staff.

Suyash Thakur, who is a counsel for one of the interveners in the case --the Madhya Pradesh Judges Association, said, "Judges proclaim judgement after hearing the cases at courts and from the security point of view every district court in the state should have a permanent police outpost and adequate force should be deployed there."