HC judge demands VIP treatment for visiting relatives

The case relates to a Chief Justice of an eastern state, where a Joint Registrar and Protocol officer of the concerned high court have issued orders to extend protocol courtesies to the chief justice’s extended family members. There are nine members of the ‘VIP’ entourage who are expected to visit some key religious sites such as Itkhori Bhadrakali temple, Deoghar, Basukinath, Rajrappa, etc. The order, which has been marked as VIP visit, has been addressed to Principal District & Sessions judges and Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of eight districts of Ramgarh, Hazaribargh, Chatra, Giridih, Deoghar, Dumka, Dhanbad and Bokaro.

According to the letter dated July 6, the protocol officer of the concerned court has asked the concerned authorities to make all the necessary arrangements for members of the chief justice’s family wherein they travel during their tour. “Authorities have been told to arrange reception of all nine family members, government accommodation (four A/c rooms) for them, adequate security and protocol assistance,” the letter said. Apart from these protocol privileges, the concerned district authorities have been directed to arrange facilities for comfortable puja darshan, sight-seeing and send off facilities at every place of their visit during the four-day tour starting from July 12 and completing on July 15.

According to a senior lawyer, the protocol privileges are extended to first relation family members of a chief justice or judges of Supreme Court and high courts. As per law, the first relation has been defined as wife or husband as the case may be of such member, whether residing with (such member) or not, but does not include a wife or husband separated from the member of the service by a decree or order of competent court.