East Delhi district court Karkardooma was the scene of a shootout about an hour ago, as unidentified persons entered its courtroom 73 and fired several bullet rounds.

A constable present in court took five bullets in the incident, confirmed sources present in court at the time. The firing took place in the court of magistrate Sunil Gupta minutes before deposition in a case was scheduled to take place inside the courtroom, said the sources.

Sources told Legally India that two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident now.

Among others injured from the gunshots was the undertrial who was brought to the court room to depose, and a home guard posted at the court, reported PTI.

According to the PTI’s report:

“The incident took place around 11 a.m when an undertrial was brought to court number 73 there, following which the unidentified persons, who were suspected to have been waiting to attack the undertrial, fired at least 10 rounds and fled, said a police official.

Several police teams have been rushed to the spot and the injured persons taken to hospital, said DCP (East) B S Gurjar.”

The court premises have not been evacuated until now and business is continuing as usual as today is the last working day of Delhi’s district court before its 24 December to 1 January winter vacations.

A lawyer present in the court remarked that following the year 2011 Delhi high court bomb blasts, security has been tightened only at the high court and the Supreme Court, but at Delhi’s six district courts “any person dressed in black-and-white [lawyer’s attire], carrying files in [their] hand” can enter inside any courtroom unstopped by the basic security at the main gates of the court.

“Judges have at the most a paperweight in their chamber, for protection,” remarked the lawyer.

UPDATE 230PM: The constable who took the maximum bullets fired succumbed to his injuries, reported Indian Express. The constable was accompanying the accused in a case registered at Gandhi nagar police station, at the hearing where the shootout happened. The Delhi government has already promised Rs 1 crore as compensation to the deceased policeman’s family.