Chief Justice SK Kaul did not say he lost confidence in TN police: Jayalalithaa

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday asserted that Madras High Court Chief Justice SK Kaul did not say he had lost confidence in the state police as reported in a section of media.

Speaking in the state assembly on the issue related to security in the high court campus following some protests, she dared DMK President M Karunanidhi to file an impleading petition in the case if his party really felt that the state police could not provide security to the court.

She made the remarks after DMK member EV Velu referred to the issue during a debate on demands for grants of the Home Department.

"I would like to categorically state that the news reports in a section of the media that Chief Justice had on September 18 said that he has lost confidence in state police is not true. The truth is that he did not express any such view," Jayalalithaa said.

The high court had suggested central security cover by agency such as Central Industrial Security Force in the backdrop of ruckus created by a group of lawyers demanding Tamil as the court language on September 14.

Following this, the state government informed the court that the principal bench here and Madurai Bench campus had been declared 'high security zone' but the government opposed CISF cover.

Karunanidhi had taken up the issue to target the ruling AIADMK by claiming that "the High Court itself had lost confidence in the state police."

Jayalalithaa said the court had been assured that adequate security would be provided to it and that there was no need for CISF security.

She said there were violent incidents during the previous Karunanidhi-led regime in the Madras Law College campus in 2008 and in the high court premises in 2009.

Citing a requisition by the high court for CISF security in 2009, she asked "does it mean that the then Chief Minister Karunanidhi did not function properly, shall we take it as loss of court's faith on the then regime"?

"Does Karunanidhi and DMK really feel that the state police could not provide security to the High Court and that only the CISF could do it, or do they do it for political mileage? she asked.

Referring to the 2009 police-lawyers clash, she said since then there had been a "big gap" between the police personnel and advocates which was now being set right.

Jayalalithaa said that on October 29, 2009 the court had

ordered that any security measure inside the court campus should be undertaken based on the orders of the High Court Security Committee.

In keeping with this, on September 14 last when police approached the High Court Registrar for orders to handle the (pro-Tamil) protest, action could not be taken as orders could not be received, she said.

She noted that the court's First Bench last month, in an order in a case seeking adequate security for court campus, directed fulfillment of all recommendations by the court.

"In this order nothing was said about the CISF security," Jayalalithaa said.

Stating that Rs 5.37 crore worth of new security equipment has been provided to enhance security for the high court, the Chief Minister noted that 575 and 177 police personnel have been deployed respectively for security at the high court here and the Madurai Bench.

As the Tamil Nadu police was providing "good security" to the court campus, senior advocates and advocates associations had told the court that CISF cover was not needed for its campuses, she added.