Kerala High Court Introduces Measures To Strengthen Security Within Its Premises

The Kerala High Court has imposed certain measures to strengthen the security arrangements within its premises in light of a few recent incidents of security breaches. 

Advocates, not in their robes, are required to show their ID Cards at the entry points for identification, while verification of persons donning the Advocates' robes shall be done only in suspicious circumstances.

Advocate Clerks' too are required to wear Identity Cards, on entering the High Court building.

The new protocol mandates all High Court Staff members, to wear their Identity Cards conspicuously while entering the premises of the Court. The circular states that in the event of inadvertent omission by the staff in bringing the Identity Card while coming to the Office, they ought to furnish their name, designation and section to the Security Personnel and mark their bio-metric attendance in the thumb-reader installed beside the Entry -1, whereafter their entry would be restricted to only through Entry-1. 

The notification issued by the Registrar General further requires all other stakeholders, including Government Officials, to wear their ID cards or to be in proper Uniform while entering the High Court premises. 

It also states that measures to issue RFID cards to Advocates and Advocates' Clerks and to install the Flap Barrier System, are presently underway. Until such time, it has been clarified that the baggage of all persons particularly those of parties-in-person/ litigants shall be scanned at the baggage scanners installed at the entry points before entering the Court building. 

The notification states that persons including parties-in-person/ litigants and those issued with a pass shall be subjected to frisking by using hand-held metal detectors by the security personnel deployed at the entry points, so as to avert instances of bringing hazardous objects into the building, if found necessary. However, it has been clarified that the issuance of pass to outsiders shall be restricted to the maximum extent possible, and persons accompanying the litigants/party-in-person shall not be permitted entry, unless warranted by  special circumstances.

It unequivocally stipulates that persons bringing weapons or such potentially hazardous objects shall be denied entry into the High Court building and that such articles shall be seized and reported to the local police or returned, depending on the nature of the object attempted to be brought in.

The Dy.SP. (Security) has been granted liberty to take legal action as per law against persons who are found to not abide by the security instructions and using force against the Security Personnel. 

Click Here To Read/Download The Notification