The Madras High Court on Wednesday extended the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) cover for the court campus for one more year in Chennai and Madurai.

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar extended the CISF cover for another year.

The Additional Solicitor General of the Madras High Court Rajagopalan asked the court if the security cover could be used for the whole Madras High Court campus instead of the main building. The Advocate General of Tamil Nadu Vijay Narayan, however, stated that he needs to consult the state and the security committee needs to review it.

The High Court came under CISF cover in November 2015 after two unruly incidents that raised questions about the security of the judges.

In September that year, a group of lawyers laid siege to the then Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul’s bench. Waving black flags, they protested all day demanding that Tamil be declared the official language of the High Court.

Days later, in the Madurai bench around another group of lawyers created a ruckus protesting contempt proceedings against two lawyers.

It was then that the Madras High Court on October 30, 2015 ordered the Tamil Nadu government to provide an independent security force that would replace the state police.  

“The judges must feel secure while administering justice and thus, proper security has to be arranged to prevent such incidents, which not only disrupt the functioning of the court but can result in security breaches when courts are concerned with sensitive matters, especially a court like the present High Court and its Bench,” read the HC directive.  

The High Court had in November 2016 extended the CISF security cover at the campus.