Pune district court's three lifts keep breaking down, lawyer seeks permanent fix

All three lifts in the new Pune district court building at Shivajinagar are breaking down repeatedly, raising concern about the safety of lawyers, litigants and others who visit the court. Some people have reportedly been trapped inside the lifts. It is alleged that there is no emergency arrangement to get out people stuck in a lift and no operator is posted there. This has made things especially difficult for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

Advocate Balasaheb Khopde has urged Pune's District and Principal Judge, Anju Shende, to take immediate and permanent measures. Khopde is a former additional public prosecutor and a former general secretary of the Maharashtra State Public Prosecutors' Association, Nagpur.

The new building has more than 40 courtrooms. It also houses the offices of government lawyers, the District Legal Services Authority and the bailiff. More than 5,000 people, including litigants, police personnel and lawyers, reach the building every day. For this crowd the building has only three lifts, which are said to break down often.

According to Khopde, the lifts also have no backup power, so people inside risk being trapped when the electricity goes. He said he was himself stuck in a lift when the power went off on October 8. He and the others with him were brought out with the help of government lawyer Santoshkumar Patle.

He said people come to court hoping for justice, so the safety of everyone entering the premises should be the first priority. The situation is more worrying for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, who depend on the lifts to reach courtrooms and offices.

Khopde has asked the court administration to meet the officials responsible for lift maintenance, the Public Works Department and the technical maintenance teams, and to review the safety, upkeep and accessibility of the lifts. He has also sought appropriate directions in line with Bombay High Court guidelines, so that such incidents stop and people can move safely in and out of the court building.