LAHORE: Additional district and sessions judges across the province have showed their concern over the withdrawal of single police guard from their courts, saying this had exposed them to contempt or even violence in and outside the courtrooms.

According to a number of additional district and sessions judges on Sunday, each of them had traditionally been given one police guard who would escort them to and fro the court, and stay in the courtroom as a state symbol out to protect the judiciary in dispensation of justice and convicting all found guilty of a crime without any fear.

They said as per newspaper reports, the chief justice of Pakistan had ordered withdrawal of unauthorised and extra security (provided by police). But, the police authorities had withdrawn single guard from each of the around 500 additional district and sessions judges who try murder cases.

A judge says deployment of a police guard doesn’t come under extra security

They argued that the question whether courts which try murder cases were authorised to get security from the state remained unanswered. Under international practices all state officials dealing with law and order or criminals (conducting their trials) were entitled to security by the state. This was to prove that they were not alone and were amply supported by the state in providing justice.

Second, they said, the Supreme Court order was to withdraw the extra security. And as to how a single guard could come under this definition. His withdrawal was withdrawal of total security.

The judges said the presence of the police guarded during their movement to and fro the courts and in the courtroom was to not only protect them against any violence or misbehaviour but to also establish that they represent the state.

“How a judge would control an aggressive criminal or opposite parties involved in murders in courtrooms without a policeman at his back, is a big question to be answered. People have even recently been murdered in and outside courtrooms in cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi and Phalia despite the presence of police guards. And what could happen in their absence is anybody’s guess,” a judge said.

In lesser instances, there would be no-one to apprehend a person indulging in contempt of court by rude words or actions in the absence of police, he argued, explaining that the overall police security in the subordinate courts had never been adequate.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2018