Kerala High Court directs State to provide police protection for all district courts, judicial officers

The Kerala High Court recently directed the State government and the Police Chief to immediately provide adequate police protection in all the court premises across the State and to all officers of District Judiciary..A division bench of Justices Muhamed Mustaque and CS Dias passed the direction after the Registrar (District Judiciary) informed the Court that security arrangements have not been made for a majority of courts in the State."We direct the additional respondents 5 and 6 to immediately provide adequate police protection in all the court premises in the State of Kerala and to the officers of the District Judiciary," the Court directed.The Registrar's report based on the information received from the District Courts was in contrast to the Police claim that adequate security was being deployed in the court premises during working hours.Observing that sporadic untoward incidents have been witnessed in different courts in the State, the Court said it cannot remain in a slumber till such incident occurs again.“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The State is obliged to keep up with its undertaking before the Honourable Supreme Court that it will maintain law and order in all the court premises and provide adequate police protection to the Officers of the District Judiciary,” the Court observed..Accordingly, the Court suo-motu impleaded the State Home Department's Additional Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief as additional respondents in the case before it.As the Court ordered them to ensure adequate security in the courts and protection of the judicial officers, it also directed the Registrar (District Judiciary) and the Chief Security Officer of the High Court to coordinate with them for implementation of the order.It added that a compliance report shall be placed on record before the next posting date, i.e. January 12, 2024..The Court was hearing a matter in which last year it had initially suo motu taken up the issue related to infrastructure in Family Courts. Later, it also passed orders related to posting of sufficient number of police personnel in the district courts. .Meanwhile, the Court in its order dated November 23 also recorded its appreciation for the members of the District Bar Association Ernakulam after it was informed that a child- friendly room has been opened in the Family Court in Ernakulam with their co-operation.The Bar Council of Kerala submitted that it was coordinating with Bar Associations to establish child-friendly rooms in Family Courts."This Court records its appreciation for the members of the Bar Association for their cooperation. We are confident that the members of the other District Bar Associations would emulate the above Bar Association," the High Court said..[Read Order]