On Sunday, the Govt of Uttar Pradesh said a special force will be constituted after an order from the High Court of Allahabad, which had expressed its displeasure over the security at Civil Courts last Dec.

Briefing reporters in Lucknow, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, “The state government has given orders for the constitution of a special security force. A roadmap in this regard has been sought from the UP DGP. This is a dream project of the UP chief minister. The basis of this force is an order of the high court, which had ordered that there should be a specialised force for civil courts. In all, there will be 9,919 personnel in the force.”

Awasthi said 5 battalions of the Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF) will be constituted in the first phase & it will be headed by an ADG-ranked officer.

Awasthi said that “Expenses incurred in the first phase will be around Rs 1,747 crore".

Later, in a statement, he said the force will provide security to the HC, District Courts, Administrative Offices & Buildings, Metro Rail, Airports, Banks, Financial Institutions, Educational Institutions & Industrial Units.

The statement said that this force will have the powers to search without any warrant. Members of this force will also be able to arrest any person without the orders of a magistrate or a warrant.

On Dec 18, 2019, the High Court of Allahabad had pulled up the UP Govt over a shootout at a Bijnor courtroom.

Three assailants had on Dec 17, 2019, opened fire in the Court of the Bijnor Chief Judicial Magistrate, killing a Murder accused & injuring 3 others - 2 Policemen & a Court employee.

The Muzaffarnagar court had witnessed a similar incident in 2015, when an armed man entered the courtroom masquerading as a lawyer & shot dead Vicky Tyagi, an alleged gangster.

Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, Darvesh Kumari Yadav, 36, was shot dead by a colleague in her chamber on the civil court premises in Agra on June 13, 2019.

A 2-Judge HC bench had said that most incompetent Police personnel are being posted at the Courts, adding that it will seek the deployment of central forces if the State Govt is not up to the task. 

Source Link

Picture Source :