Gauhati High Court. File picture

Guwahati, Aug. 6: Eight CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras will be installed on the periphery of Gauhati High Court to step up surveillance around the court premises as a measure to scale up security.

The authorities expect to make the cameras functional within a couple of months.

The move assumes importance in the wake of the blast on the Delhi High Court premises on September 7 last year, which left 16 people dead and dozens injured.

That incident raised the issue of security at courts, which are often packed with visitors.

An official source said bids have already been invited and one among the bidders would be selected to install the system.

He said these eight cameras would keep an eye on the areas surrounding the court building.

At present, CCTV cameras were installed only inside the court building and at the two main entrances to the principal seat of the high court, which covers seven northeastern states.

The source, however, refused to divulge the number of CCTV cameras currently installed on the court premises because of “security reasons”.

After installation of the new cameras, almost every corner of the court campus and its peripheral areas will come under vigil.

The new CCTV cameras will be linked to the LCD monitors at the central security room on the ground floor of the high court building.

On the technical specifications of the cameras, he said these would be high-speed dome cameras with a pan range of 360 degrees. “These cameras will also to be vandal-resistant and weather-proof,” he said.

The source said the new cameras would help monitor the car parking areas on the court premises, which teems with litigants, advocates and other visitors on working days. “These cameras are expected to bolster the existing surveillance system of the high court,” the source said.

He said security at Gauhati High Court was beefed up with the introduction of new security measure following the bomb blast at Delhi High Court last year.

Restrictions were imposed on entry of vehicles on the court premises and the high court employees were issued car passes.

“The blast at Delhi High Court last year and the October 30, 2008, blast at the court of chief judicial magistrate, Kamrup, here have exposed the vulnerability of the courts to terror attacks and they are not as safe as they assume it to be,” the source said.

“There had been demand from various quarters that all court premises should be provided foolproof security and CCTV cameras are also being installed in lower courts in the state,” he said.

“The CCTV cameras may also help reduce corruption in the courts as the unscrupulous staff may refrain from taking any bribe for the fear of being caught on camera,” the source added.