A 51-year-old man tried to slit his throat and neck in front of the judges inside Court Hall-1 of the High Court of Karnataka when the judicial proceedings were underway before a Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice on Wednesday afternoon (April 3).
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. when the Bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Anjaria and Justice H.B. Prabhakara Sastry was hearing a petition related to mines and minerals listed at serial number 26 of the cause list of the day.
The man, who has been identified by the police as C. Srinivas, came close to the platform where the court officers sit in front of the podium where the judges sit. He kept some papers related to certain litigation on the table in front of the court officers and tried to slit his throat and neck using a sharp object brought by himself.
The Bench was engaged in hearing the arguments of the advocate for the petitioner and the government advocate on the petition listed at serial number 26 when the man resorted to these acts. The man appeared to have uttered something to the court officer and the judges before cutting, inflicting self-injuries.
Following this, the Chief Justice summoned the police personnel and asked them to take the man to the doctor immediately as he was bleeding. He was rushed to Bowring hospital in an ambulance for treatment.
Justice Sastry asked how a man could enter the court hall despite the tight security for carrying out checks and wanted to know what kind of sharp object the man possessed. He told the court officers not to touch the papers that the man had kept on the table.
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice summoned the Registrar General and directed that the incident be referred to the jurisdictional police as per the procedure. As the man was able to walk, the police quickly escorted him outside the court hall.
The Bench then adjourned the hearing on the remaining five petitions listed on the cause list to enable the police to follow the procedure as a government advocate said that the police had to conduct the spot mahazar.
A few lawyers, court staff, some government employees, and a few litigants were present in the courtroom when the incident occurred. According to some of the lawyers present in the court, the man said something before injuring himself with a small, sharp object. Though the Court staff could not immediately establish his identity or his case, the police have said that his name is C. Srinivas from Mysuru.
It appears that he registered an FIR for a cheating case against certain persons in Mysuru in 2021. However, the High Court quashed the FIR in June 2023 on a petition filed by the accused persons stating that it was purely a civil dispute. Mr. Srinivas had unsuccessfully argued before the court in that case personally without engaging any advocate. However, it is not known yet whether any of his case is pending in the court at present.
Though the proceedings of Court Hall-1 were live on the High Court’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, the man’s actions were not visible to viewers as the cameras installed for the videoconference system in the court hall were audio-tracking cameras, which constantly switch focus on speakers based on sound receivers in the mics. The High Court’s administration subsequently restricted the public’s access to the recorded proceedings.
Later, the court hall was readied for the pre-scheduled official function to bid farewell to Justice Sastry, who retired from service on Wednesday.
Vidhana Soudha police are investigating by registering a First Information Report. The police have yet to ascertain the details of the man.
(Those having distress or suicidal tendencies can call Arogya Sahayavani on 104 for help)
