District courts across Maharashtra, including Pune’s Shivajinagar court complex, were evacuated on Monday after receiving bomb threats by email, disrupting court operations and triggering coordinated searches by police, bomb squads and cyber investigators.
The threat reportedly reached more than a dozen district and sessions courts across regions including Mumbai, Konkan, western Maharashtra, north Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha. The emails arrived simultaneously, according to Sakal – Pune, when courts were crowded with judges, lawyers, staff, litigants and other visitors at the start of the working week.
At Pune’s Shivajinagar district and sessions court, police moved people out of the premises after the threat was received on the court’s official email account. Court proceedings were temporarily stopped, the complex was secured and access points were placed under police control. Judges, lawyers, employees and litigants were moved outside as a precaution.
The Pune police Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, dog squad and senior Crime Branch officers carried out searches across the complex. The inspection included courtrooms, judges’ chambers, bar rooms, record rooms, washrooms and vehicles parked within the premises. Security personnel also used metal detectors while checking the buildings and surrounding areas.
Similar precautionary action was reported at courts in Thane, Mumbai’s Dindoshi area, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ahilyanagar, Beed, Parbhani, Hingoli and Amravati, among other districts. Local police and bomb squads evacuated the affected buildings and began searches. The initial inspections did not find any explosive device, the report said.
The incident temporarily turned court premises—normally high-footfall public institutions handling hearings, filings and legal assistance—into restricted security zones. The disruption affected not only judicial work but also the movement of litigants and lawyers who depend on scheduled hearings, court records and administrative services.
The Pune cyber police, the state cyber department and the Anti-Terrorism Squad began investigating the origin of the emails. Investigators are examining whether the messages were sent through a virtual private network, proxy server or fabricated domain. They are also assessing whether the emails were a hoax intended to disrupt court functioning or part of a wider criminal conspiracy.
The reported targeting of multiple courts at the same time has brought the security of court communications and public institutions into focus. Court email systems are used for official coordination, and a threat sent through those channels can trigger large-scale evacuations even when no explosive is ultimately found. The response therefore involves both physical searches and digital tracing.
Police authorities appealed to citizens and litigants not to believe rumours and to maintain calm. Further court operations and access arrangements will depend on the completion of security inspections and instructions issued by the concerned authorities.
