Man attempts to slit his throat in court hall of Karnataka HC Chief Justice

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka witnessed tense, dramatic moments on Wednesday after a middle-aged man from Mysuru allegedly slit his throat with a sharp object in the courtroom of the Chief Justice, raising security concerns.

Around 12.20 pm, when a particular serial number was called for a hearing, Chinnum Srinivas, 51, casually walked to the lectern in court hall number 1 and handed over files to the court officer. He then took a step back, pulled out a single razor/blade and slit his throat. He sustained a deep cut to his throat and lost a significant amount of blood, officials said.

At the time, a division bench of Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice H B Prabhakara Sastry was in session. Incidentally, it was Justice Sastry’s last day in court as he was retiring on superannuation. Shocked by the incident, the bench asked the court staff to inform the police.

Police personnel ran in and took the injured man to Bowring Hospital.

The bench expressed shock that someone could carry a blade into the court premises. It adjourned the hearing so police could conduct mahazar and confiscate the blade that had fallen within the court premises.

Srinivas is being treated in the ICU but is stable. Doctors have put him under observation for the next 48 hours.

Details of the extent of his injury are expected on Thursday, sources in the hospital said. The police are treating the incident as a suicide attempt and investigating the possible motives. “He came with his wife to Bengaluru to attend the court hearing and apparently wanted to file a complaint. It is unclear what prompted him to take such a step. We will question him once he recovers and is able to talk. We are investigating his background,” a senior police officer told DH.

Vidhana Soudha police have opened a case of attempted suicide based on a complaint from the inspector in charge of the Vidhana Soudha security.

Security concerns

The high court had significantly beefed up security within its premises after a young lawyer fatally stabbed a female colleague on the court premises in 2010. The deputy commissioner ofpolice (Vidhana Soudha) is in charge of security at the court. All entry points have door frame metal detectors and are manned by police personnel.