After a series of protests, CRPF deployment likely on Madras High Court campus

CHENNAI: In a move that indicates that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is likely to be deployed at the Madras High Court for security, a team of CRPF personnel inspected the court premises on Sunday.
The move comes about a fortnight after the high court reiterated its September 17 demand to transfer the court's security from the state police to an independent central force such as the CISF or CRPF.
Confirming that the CRPF team led by a deputy commandant-level officer studied the peripheral as well as inner security requirements during its hour-long inspection, a top law officer told TOI that the jurisdictional police stayed away from the exercise. "Local police was intimated, and was expected to be at the spot to provide logistical support and advice. But no one came," another officer told TOI.
After a series of campus disturbances such as the occupation of the chief justice's court, the ruckus created by busloads of advocates from Madurai and rallies where judges were foul-mouthed, the first bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul issued two directives - one, asking the state government to give effect to a 2007 circular by the Centre and declare the high court campuses in Chennai and Madurai as high-security zones; two, to hand over court security to CISF or a similar central, independent agency.
Apparently moved by assurances by advocate-general of Tamil Nadu A L Somayaji, and Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA) president R C Paul Kanagaraj, the court had said it intended to hand over only the inner-circle security and court room access control works to the central agency for a period of some six months, or till the mutual distrust between the legal fraternity and the state police disappears. Chief Justice Kaul has given time till October 30 for the state and central governments to furnish deployment details, and has scheduled the case to October 31 for further hearing.
On Sunday, a seven-member team of CRPF personnel in two vehicles visited the court and photographed vantage points for security planning. While the local police stayed away, they were guided by the court staff in-charge of campus maintenance. A senior police officer said that it was not mandatory for the city police to accompany them in the campus and it was an inspection by the central forces.