Bomb threat triggers evacuation at Delhi HC, later declared hoax

An email claiming IEDs forced judges, staff and litigants out; after hours of checks by bomb squads and sniffer dogs, proceedings resumed post-lunch.

Panic gripped the Delhi High Court on Friday morning after an email warned of multiple bombs on the premises, triggering a massive security operation and evacuation before the threat was declared a hoax, police said.

An email claiming IEDs forced judges, staff and litigants out; after hours of checks by bomb squads and sniffer dogs, proceedings resumed post-lunch. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The threat mail, sent at 8.39am from an Outlook account, was addressed to court staff and claimed that three IEDs had been planted on the premises, demanding evacuation by 2pm. The message, laden with political rhetoric, was escalated to registrar general Arun Bhardwaj around 10.40am.

Hitting out at “dynastic politics”, “corruption” and “pseudo-secularists”, the email claimed that attacks are planned against prominent names in Tamil Nadu politics.

Officials aware of the matter said that around 11.20am, judges began abruptly leaving their courtrooms. By 12.10pm, a full-scale evacuation of the complex, including judges’ chambers, was carried out as a precaution.

Security forces -- including Delhi Police, CRPF personnel, bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs -- rushed to the High Court, alongside fire engines and ambulances. A cordon was set up and access to the premises restricted as teams combed the building.

At 1:50pm, after nearly hours of intensive search, the bomb squad declared the court safe, finding no trace of explosives. The gates were reopened, and judges, advocates, and litigants were allowed back inside. Proceedings resumed at 2:30pm.

Sacchin Puri, vice president of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, said, “On receiving the bomb threat, all possible steps were taken to secure and sanitise the court blocks and canteen. Once police cleared the premises, work resumed post-lunch after it was confirmed the threat was nothing but a hoax.”