Day after Sidhu Moosewala's murder, HC asks Punjab Govt to explain basis on which security of 400 protectees pruned, info leaked

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 30

A day after Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked Punjab to explain the basis on which it had recently withdrawn or pruned the security of the protectees. In all, nearly 400 protectees stand affected.

Justice Raj Mohan Singh of the high court also asked the state to explain the basis of its decisions to withdraw or prune the security — whether it was individual or otherwise. It was further asked to explain how the information on the withdrawal of security came in the public domain. Justice Raj Mohan Singh also set a two-day deadline for the purpose of furnishing the information. Fixing the case for further hearing on June 2, Justice Raj Mohan Singh made it clear that the state’s report would be furnished in a sealed cover.

Give details in 2 days

• Justice Raj Mohan Singh asks whether it was done on individual basis or otherwise
• Seeks explaination on how info on security withdrawal came in the public domain
• Sets a 2-day deadline for furnishing info in a sealed cover

Justice Raj Mohan Singh was hearing a petition filed by Punjab’s former deputy Chief Minister OP Soni through counsel Madhu Dayal. Soni was, among other things, seeking the quashing of order dated May 11 de-categorising his security from “Z” and the withdrawal of security personnel.

Dayal on Soni’s behalf contended that the Punjab Police withdrew security cover of 184 ex-ministers and former MLAs on “pick and choose basis rather than actual threat perception” after the formation of the current AAP government.

“The withdrawal is a result of populist action being taken by the government, instead of assessment of actual serious threat to the lives of these persons. Z+ category security has been provided to Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister, Delhi, and Raghav Chadha, MP, Rajya Sabha, Punjab, among others,” Dayal added.

She also told the Bench a bare perusal of a report showed that the protectees’ list was “more politically motivated rather than on the basis of threat perception”. Non-categorisation of the petitioner in any category of security had put him at risk of attack from gangsters and terrorists and left him at the whims and fancies of the officials. On the other hand, political bigwig’s not even residents of Punjab had been given security at public exchequer’s cost, she said and added that there had been no change in the petitioner’s threat perception during the past four months.

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#punjab police #sidhu moosewala