Gate shut on terror,open to justice

“The Bar and the Bench realise the significance of Gate 5 and the adjacent pass counter. The structure,brought down by the impact of the blast,has to be erected again to send out our message loud and clear – no criminal act can pull us down,” said A S Chandhiok,president of the Delhi High Court Bar Association.

Chandhiok was one of the first lawyers who had rushed to the blast site immediately after the tragedy to ensure that all the injured were taken to the hospital within 20 minutes of the incident.

Apprising Newsline about the report on the proposed pass counters,Chandhiok said: “The Public Works Department (PWD) has come up with a proposal to build a new pass counter adjacent to Gate 5. It will be a state-of-the-art counter with modern technology. We,however,have asked PWD officials to explore the possibility of putting in place more counters.”

Chandhiok said he regretted that not much was done to strengthen security at the complex following the low intensity blast in May.

After May explosion

No one was hurt when a crude bomb attached to a car parked outside the court exploded on May 25,but it raised enough security worries. And when Wednesday’s blast — far more lethal — happened,at least 150 police and paramilitary personnel were guarding the complex then,besides six PCR vans.

After the first explosion,six meetings were convened and the need to install CCTV cameras in the complex,a key security requirement that could not be completed despite a proposal being moved nearly three years ago,was stressed again. The proposal never took off.

“After the September 7 blast,we swung into action. With the proactive intervention of then Chief Justice,we now have 49 high-resolution cameras in and on the periphery of the court,” Chandhiok said.

The security inside and around the court complex was also overhauled to a three-tier security arrangement,with special emphasis on pedestrian surveillance.

Soon after the blast,the CRPF took over internal security from the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary and Delhi Police was entrusted with the duty to look after the security around and outside the building.

As per the new traffic flow plan,only vehicles with 2011 stickers of the Delhi High Court are allowed to move along Sher Shah Suri Marg and can enter the court complex.