Punjab to reassess security of 129 private protectees

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 20

About three months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court asserted that deploying police officials for safety purposes might protect individuals, but it affected the overall law and order situation, the Punjab Government has stated that it will reassess the security arrangements for 129 “private protectees”.

The development is significant as the high court has already emphasised that the cost of security needs to be recovered from individuals facing threat perception due to their association with a political party, religious organisation, or any similar entity.

As the matter came up for resumed hearing before Justice Harkesh Manuja, a status report by way of an affidavit by IPS officer and Additional Director-General of Police, Security, Sudhanshu S Srivastava was placed before the Bench.

Referring to the affidavit, the state counsel informed the Bench that a meeting of its security review committee was scheduled for August 21, “wherein the matter relating to 129 private protectees shall be re-assessed”.

The counsel appearing for the State of Haryana also told the Bench that the security review committee’s previous meeting was held on August 10. He added around “120 private protectees have been identified, whose cases shall be considered in terms of the new SOP/regulations”.

On a previous date of hearing, the Bench had asked Chandigarh and Haryana authorities to furnish details of policies, guidelines, rules or standard operating procedure regarding providing security on payment basis to individuals facing threat.

“If an individual is provided security due to its association with a political party, religious organisation, or a similar entity as well as persons associated with entertainment industry, SOP shall have consideration regarding cost being recoverable from the said political party or religious organisation,” Justice Manuja had observed.

The Bench had asserted that the SOP should delineate a clear procedure for assessing threat perception, defining its scope, and subsequent actions based on the assessed threat level. It should elucidate the parameters for determining an individual’s liability for covering the costs incurred by the state in providing security.

Additionally, the Bench emphasised the possibility of granting security free of cost or on partially subsidised basis under compelling circumstances, provided the threat was genuine and the individual could not afford the expenses.