Two policemen allegedly attacked a judge inside a courtroom in Bihar’s Madhubani district on Thursday, Nov 18, prompting the Patna High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and ask the state’s Director General of Police to file a status report.

The two policemen entered the courtroom during the hearing of a case involving them, allegedly pointed a gun at Additional District and Sessions Judge of Jhanjharpur Avinash Kumar, and attacked him. The judge is safe but is reportedly shaken by the sudden development.

SHO Gopal Krishna and Sub-Inspector Abhimanyu Kumar also attacked lawyers and court employees who tried to protect the judge, injuring them. Terming the incident as “unprecedented and shocking”, a Division Bench of the HC directed the DGP to file a status report in a sealed cover on November 29.

The DGP was also directed to be present in the court on that day. “Prima facie, it appears that this episode puts the independence of judiciary in jeopardy. We, thus, deem it fit to issue notice to the respondents the Chief Secretary,… the DGP, the Principal Secretary, Home Department, … and the SP (Madhubani),” the court said.