SC asks for security
The Supreme Court (SC) authorities have requested the government to take immediate steps to ensure security on the court premises.
In letters sent to home and law secretaries and inspector general of police on March 11, the SC Registrar's Office said judges, lawyers, litigants and staff at the apex court have been “feeling insecure under the present circumstances”.
Mentioning deaths of several people including judges and lawyers in militant attacks in the recent past, the letter says the government should make foolproof security arrangements including deployment of additional police at the courthouses.
Thousands of justice-seekers gather at the SC compound every day. But the safety measures in place there are not deemed sufficient, it reads.
Signed by Deputy Registrar-1 of High Court Aminul Huq, the letter requests the authorities to ensure security circling the perimeter of the top court.
Asked about security in the other courts, SC Registrar Abu Bakar Siddique yesterday said the authorities will take necessary steps if a situation arises.
Talking to The Daily Star, a number of legal practitioners expressed concern over successive governments' failure to ensure proper security in the court areas.
After the courthouse blasts in 2005, security was beefed up in some court buildings, but for a few days only.
“At present, anyone can walk in and approach the judge's podium without having to negotiate a security check, and that answers why we are in a state of panic,” said a lawyer.
Earlier on March 8, some 17 lawyers appealed to the chief justice to ask the authorities to ensure security on the SC premises.
Comments