The record room also had documents of the erstwhile Punjab High Court at Lahore, which were first shifted to Shimla and then to Chandigarh. These include the historic Gandhi assassination trial papers, though it is still to be ascertained whether these were affected.

"We will be able to determine the damage only after the fire is brought under control," said Justice G.S. Singhvi of the High Court, who was present at the court complex. Though the functioning of the court will not be affected due to the burning of records of cases which have been disposed of, these documents were necessary for referral purposes, say sources.

Some smoke was still bellowing out of the court complex more than 14 hours after the fire was detectedaround 3.45 a.m. About 60 firemen and 15 fire tenders from the city, S.A.S. Nagar, Pinjore, Panchkula and Base Repair Depot No. 3 at the Air Force Station battled with the flames and smoke throughout Friday.

The cause of the fire, even the extent of damage, is yet to be ascertained, though fire fighters say a short-circuit could have started it. The investigators, however, are not ruling out the possibility of a live cigarette butt sparking it off or even sabotage.

The fire-fighters entered the smoke-filled record room of the court in the early hours of the morning and breached its wall brick by brick to gain entry. An earth mover was also pressed into service for creating cavities in the wall. "Our task became difficult as the entrances to the building are very narrow," said a fire service officer. "Moreover, due to lack of space, we had to create openings on both sides of the building," he added.

Inside the record room, stacks of files were reduced to twisted metal. A part of the concrete ceilingalso caved in due to the intense heat. Some case files which did not catch fire were strewn all over, soaked. Sources added that stationery worth several lakh rupees, stored in the adjoining room, was saved due to timely intervention.

The Police Control Room (PCR) in Sector 9 received the first information about the fire on the phone from a constable of the Madhya Pradesh Police, I.P. Goswami, who was posted at the main gate of the court. "Within minutes, the fire tenders were here," he said. Goswami said he noticed smoke coming out of the ventilators of the record room at about 3.45 a.m. "I thought waste paper was being burnt in the adjoining post office building. Then I spotted the flames in the vents. I immediately informed my officers and the PCR."