Blast didn’t stop HC,work resumed after a few hours

Additional Solicitor General and Bar Association’s President A S Chandhiok,who also accompanied Justice Kapadia,said the CJI had stressed on the need for beefing up security at courts across the country. “The CJI discussed the general security of courts across the country. He was of the view that there was a need to tighten security at courts,Chandhiok said.

He said Justice Kapadia emphasised on the need to decongest court premises,so that there could be sufficient space for lawyers,litigants and others.

Earlier in the day,the High Court,along with several benches of the Supreme Court,had suspended proceedings after a powerful blast rocked its premises. However,it resumed functioning within hours to “send a strong message that it will not be cowed down by such terror acts”.

The High Court,which saw its judges meeting minutes after the blast,decided to suspend proceedings in the first half as police evacuated the building,then proceeded to comb it. It resumed the proceedings in the post-lunch session.

All the courts functioned,but refrained from passing any adverse order in any matter,just in case a lawyer or a litigant had failed to appear.

Chief Justice Dipak Misra,along with Justices S K Kaul and B D Ahmed,visited the blast site around 1 pm. Home Minister P Chidambaram also reached the site a few minutes later,and held a brief talk with the Chief Justice.

A few lawyers said that the terrorists may have chosen Wednesday for carrying out the attack because it gets more footfalls then. “A lot of people come on Wednesdays. We have an extra load of 20 per cent. Reception on Wednesday mornings is crowded as many people gather to collect passes to enter the complex,” said Rakesh Tikoo,Delhi Bar Council president. He pointed out that the last blast had occurred on May 25,also a Wednesday.

An official in the High Court dispensary said that around 30 people,including four staffers who man the entry pass counters,were brought there with minor injuries. “While most of them were discharged after first aid,four were referred to a hospital,” he said.

One of the staff who manned the counters said that the sight was disturbing. “A deafening sound left all of us (staff behind the windows) shocked and we saw the injured lying in pools of blood outside,” he added.