Undertrial killed inside Delhi court lock-up, bar leaders flag security issues

The Saket Court Bar Association on Thursday said the killing of a prisoner by fellow inmates inside the court had dented the image of the institute, as it flagged several lapses that allegedly contributed to the fracas in the premises.

An undertrial prisoner, brought for a hearing to the Saket court, died after two men kicked him repeatedly and smashed his head on the wall in the presence of several other inmates.

Narendra Sharma, vice president of the association, deplored the incident, saying the police personnel responsible for lodging the under-trial prisoners into the court’s lock-up were ignorant of a feud between them.

“The basic rule of thumb is to lodge the under-trial prisoners in the lock-up after assessing the nature of their offences, besides having a robust security mechanism to prevent violent clashes,” Sharma said.

He suggested setting up smaller lock-ups and categorising under-trial prisoners based on the nature of the offences they are accused of.

“No risk assessment was done. Even if the incident did not directly affect the litigants and lawyers, the circumstances surrounding it are disturbing, and it will dent the court’s image in the eyes of the general public,” Sharma said.

Dhir Singh Kasana, former secretary of the association, said the gruesome incident exposed the lack of security measures inside the lock-ups.

“There are new technologies, like that of video-conferencing. Instead of utilising the same, especially in the case of high-risk under-trial prisoners, such as those accused of murder, they are physically brought to court and kept together without knowing their history or previous enmity,” Kasana said.

He said that the incident has created an environment of fear inside the court premises.

“We demand a thorough investigation to reveal the reasons behind the incident,” Kasana said.