Supreme Court declines Tamil Nadu plea against CISF security for Madras High Court

New Delhi: The legal system cannot collapse under the pressure of a few lawyers, who cannot be allowed to hold the institution to ransom, the Supreme Court on Wednesday observed while declining to entertain Tamil Nadu’s appeal against deployment of CISF in the Madras High Court campus.

A Bench of Justices T.S. Thakur and Prafulla C. Pant told senior counsel L. Nageswara Rao, appearing for the State there is some reason which prompted the HC to order deployment of CISF as the judges feel they are insecure and the security provided is inadequate. The Bench permitted withdrawal of the appeal with liberty to approach the High Court for modification of the order.

Advocate 'Elephant' G. Rajendran justified the CISF order and brought to the notice of the court a letter written by the DGP requesting for CISF on the ground that state police are not in a position to handle the situation.

Justice Thakur said “when your police with lathis remain as mute spectators to the agitation by a few lawyers, what else they can do? If Judges are gheraoed and if they feel insecure what should be done? When police failed to act or they had become ineffective, Judges cannot wind up and go back. The institution's integrity, respect, dignity and grace cannot be compromised for the sake of few lawyers.”