Disaster waiting to happen at Madras HC

CHENNAI: Even as security was stepped up in the Madras High Court after the bomb blast in Delhi on Wednesday, it has come to light that a proposal for the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the premises following the police-lawyers clash in 2009 reportedly did not find favour with lawyers.Following the revelation that none of the gates at the Delhi High Court complex had CCTV cameras, a senior police officer said that a similar situation prevailed at the High Court here.“There are five gates — Judge’s gate, north, south, Aavin and Esplanade…and there are neither CCTV cameras nor metal detectors at any of them,” Assistant Commissioner K N Murali said.Now, in light of the explosion in Delhi, it was up to the judicial authorities and the lawyers to make a decision on the issue, the ACP said. As an immediate precautionary measure, security has been stepped up, with an inspector, two SIs and 10 police officers posted at each of the five gates. “We have briefed all personal security officers of the judges about the Delhi incident and told them to take extra care,” Murali said. On the security question, the officer said the complex housed a total of 78 courts — 38 high court and 40 others, including CBI, family and civil courts. Around 2,500 four-wheelers and 3,000 two-wheelers enter and exit the premises daily, he said, adding that 70 per cent of the vehicles belonged to lawyers. The vehicles were enumerated, with their registration numbers manually recorded and fed into a computer everyday.