Centre not for forming security force to protect judiciary, court complexes

SC had taken suo motu cognisance of attacks on judges along with petitions pending since 2019 seeking better protection for judiciary and in courts

The Union government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it was “not advisable” to form a Central security force to protect the judiciary and court complexes. The government said security of courts was “better left to the States”. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, said problems of security varied from State to State. The State police would be better equipped to gauge the deployment needs in local courts, take care of logistics of transporting criminals and protecting witnesses, among other crucial functions within court complexes. The Ministry of Home Affairs had issued extensive guidelines for the States to follow while protecting courts and the judiciary. Besides, Mr. Mehta said ‘police’ is a State subject under the Constitution. The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the attacks on judges along with petitions pending since 2019 seeking better protection for the judiciary and in courts. The turning point was the, Uttam Anand, in broad daylight. The case is under investigation by the CBI.