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HC reserves judgement on pleas against security cover withdrawal from Punjab politicians
The HC also asked the government to submit details of all the notifications on security withdrawal. It also observed that if representations are made by any petitioner, his security cover demand be reviewed
: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday reserved its judgment on pleas mainly from Punjab politicians against Bhagwant Mann-led government’s decision to withdraw security cover of protectees in the state.
During the hearing, the high court asked Punjab government that as an interim arrangement, the government should allow one securityman to each of the protectees, whose security was withdrawn earlier this year and were left with no security cover.
The court also asked the government to submit details of all the notifications on security withdrawal. It also observed that if representations are made by any petitioner, his security cover demand be reviewed.
The court was hearing a clutch of petitions filed by those whose security cover was curtailed or completely withdrawn.
The security withdrawal orders had courted controversy in May after singer Sidhu Moose Wala was killed by gangsters in Mansa in broad daylight, days after his security cover was partially withdrawn.
The government had argued that security cover of 434 protectees was curtailed on May 26, which was restored on June 7. The government had clarified that it was withdrawn in view of “Ghallughara” (Operation Blue Star anniversary, which falls on June 6) and was a routine exercise, undertaken every year.
As of de-categorisation of security cover of 184 ex-ministers and former MLAs of the state on May 11, the government had argued that it was done after a thorough exercise.
In the pleas mainly from politicians from SAD and Congress, the government was accused of resorting to “populist measures” and targeting only opposition leaders and withdrawing security in a “pick and choose manner”
