Nagpur: Raising serious concerns over safety of judicial officers following a daring burglary in Amravati, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court earlier in the week sought details on whether security audits have been conducted for courts and residential quarters of judges and staff across Vidarbha.Taking suo motu cognisance of a TOI report, the court registered a PIL (No. 26/2026) after unidentified burglars targeted nine houses in a single night in the Nyay Colony on Amravati district court premises. The thefts included residences of five judges and four court employees, located across Shahapur, Nal-Damayanti and Painganga buildings for judges, and Suvarnrekha and Saryu buildings for staff.A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode asked whether similar security audits had been carried out for judicial establishments in Vidarbha beyond the high court. The court also questioned if quarters of judicial officers and employees had undergone such assessment. The PIL was formally filed by amicus curiae Ved Deshpande. Additional govt pleader Kalyani Marpakwar informed the court that a similar petition is pending before the Bombay bench, and that security audits of the HC premises in Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Goa and Kolhapur had already been conducted and reports submitted.However, the bench sought clarity on whether such audits extended to district-level courts and residential colonies. Marpakwar said the process is currently underway.Directing the state to place on record details of any past audits, the court underscored the gravity of the incident, when burglars struck locked homes with precision, effectively challenging existing police security arrangements.The court has posted the matter for further hearing on April 20. With the Chief Justice of the Bombay high court expected to be in Nagpur on that day, the matter may be taken up in his presence.The court acted on the TOI report published on Feb 16, 2026, titled ‘Thieves target homes of judges and court employees in Amravati’. As per the report, the thefts were carried out across multiple residential clusters, including Nal-Damayanti Colony, Shahapur, Painganga, housing judges, and Suvarnrekha and Saryu, where three judges’ homes were targeted, and the Painganga building, where two more residences were breached. Four additional staff quarters in a nearby residential block were also broken into.
