Extra security hindering justice to poor, says HC

The Delhi High Court said over-insistence on furnishing of ID cards for entering its complex was increasingly resulting in denial of justice to poor litigants, many of who do not possess any identity proof.

The Delhi High Court said over-insistence on furnishing of ID cards for entering its complex was increasingly resulting in denial of justice to poor litigants, many of who do not possess any identity proof.

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Concerned over increasing cases of such litigants and parties to the case remaining absent in the proceedings, resulting in deferment of proceedings, the court has directed formation of an experts’ committee headed by principal district judge to deal with the matter and recommend appropriate measures “considering the ground situation in consultation with the police”.

The security apparatus is the same in the Supreme Court while the public is made to pass through metal detectors before entering the courts complex.

A bench of justice Gita Mittal and justice JR Midha asked the committee to “strike an appropriate balance between security realities and rights the Constitution guarantees”.

“We cannot permit the HC or courts subordinate to it to become a privileged space accessible only to those with ration cards, driving licenses or identity documents by making courts inaccessible to the disadvantaged who are less likely to have government-issued documents of identification”, said the bench.

“Delhi Metro services have been secured through a system that handles security of people without impeding physical access through stringent identification requirements.”