Shooting In Delhi Court: How Safe Are Legal Professionals?

New Delhi: A woman getting injured after being shot inside a court complex in Delhi this morning has brought to the fore the question of the safety of legal professionals. The accused was dressed as a lawyer and escaped through the backdoor of the canteen. The incident took place in the district court in Saket in south Delhi.

The woman was in the court for a hearing in a case related to a financial dispute when a person shot her, a senior police officer was quoted as saying Four rounds were fired, according to news agency ANI.

Preliminary reports said the accused, who is a lawyer by profession but is currently suspended by the Bar Council, had filed a cheating case against the woman and an advocate at the Saket police station in July 2022. In his complaint, the accused had alleged that the woman took Rs 25 lakh from him promising high returns. “The accused had reached the court this morning dressed as a lawyer. He fired at the woman when she was discussing the case with her lawyer. He escaped through the backdoor of the kitchen,” police officials said.

This brings us to the question of the safety of legal professionals. If courts are so porous, how safe are our lawyers?

There has been an alarming rise in incidents of violence inside the court premises in the national capital.

Today’s incident comes days after a lawyer was shot dead in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka by two men on a bike. The attackers had posed as lawyers to enter the court.

In the wake of the killing, a petition was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking the safety of legal professionals. The petitioners stated their concern about their own safety has been “aggravated by seeing the visuals and video of the cold-blooded murder of an influential and senior member of the Bar” and if “The Advocates Protection Act” is not passed in Delhi, the audacity of criminals to commit crimes against lawyers will increase.

On September 24 last year, two gunmen dressed as lawyers fired multiple bullets at gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi inside a courtroom in Rohini. Police personnel retaliated, allegedly killing the two on the spot.

In April last year, an incident of gun firing was reported at the Rohini court following a fight between two advocates and their client.

Only recently, Rajasthan made history by becoming the first state in the country to pass a law to ensure the safety of lawyers. On March 22, 2023, the Rajasthan assembly decided to pass the Advocates Protection Bill. The bill will now be implemented into an act, which will be known as the Advocate Protection Act 2023.

The aim behind the introduction and implementation of the Advocates Protection Act is to prevent lawyers from assault, grievous hurt, criminal force and intimidation. Any damage or loss to their property would also be covered by the bill.