The Calcutta High Court on Monday (October 12) proposed installing metal detectors at the High Court and subordinate courts to screen visitors, amid reports of alleged attacks on lawyers at judicial premises and elsewhere in West Bengal.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Om Narayan Rai asked the West Bengal Bar Council and various lawyers' organisations to discuss the proposed security measures and communicate their decisions to the Chief Justice.

“The state bar council and all the lawyers' bodies are asked to take decisions and send them to me. Then the court administration will introduce a system to check the visitors with the help of metal detectors before they enter the court premises,” the Chief Justice said.

The observations came during the hearing of a suo motu public interest litigation initiated following an alleged attack on advocate Sayan Banerjee at the Baruipur court premises. The Court was also considering reports of similar incidents involving lawyers at other courts in the State.

The State submitted an action-taken report on Monday, claiming that adequate security measures were in place. The Bench had earlier directed the State to submit the report on the incidents.

The Court also flagged concerns over discipline within judicial premises. The Chief Justice said the High Court was writing to subordinate courts, asking them to prohibit smoking and the consumption of gutkha and paan within court premises.

The proceedings followed reports of alleged egg-pelting incidents involving lawyers at Baruipur, Bankshall and Chandannagar courts, as well as an alleged attack at the residence of senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.