JOIN USThe prime minister’s directive came in the wake of an e-mail, purportedly sent by Indian Mujahideen, warning that Supreme Court would be their next target if their demand of commuting the death sentence awarded to Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru is not repealed.
Singh asked Home Minister P Chidambaram and Law Minister Salman Khurshid to meet Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia and take urgent steps to beef up the security of the Supreme Court premises, sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is also set to review the security arrangements across Delhi “to optimize the available resources and ensuring synergy among all agencies involved in emergency response”.
Delhi Police has already put in place a three-layered security ring with lawyers and litigants being subjected to frisking first at the main gates, followed by the inner gates and finally outside the courtrooms.
The armed commandos of Delhi Police are deployed in the premises of the apex court for quick response to any terrorist attacks.
Justice Kapadia had earlier on Thursday reviewed security arrangements in the Supreme Court, Delhi high court and other subordinate courts in the national capital in the wake of the Wednesday’s blast.
Meanwhile, the MHA has issued a detailed advisory to state governments asking them to step up vigil against similar terror attacks.
Official sources said that the Delhi Police and law-enforcement agencies in the States had been asked to step up security in vulnerable points.
“In particular, owners and managements of such establishments which usually attract large public congregations have been advised to ensure strict access control and security related surveillance in respect of suspicious persons and objects,” the MHA said in a press release.
Sources said that preliminary findings of forensic examination conducted by different teams of forensic experts at the scene of the Wednesday’s blast at the entrance of the Delhi High Court indicate the presence of nitrate based explosives and traces of some other explosives as well. “These findings are being reconciled to get a clear picture of the exact nature of the explosive,” said an official of the MHA.