Security cover of 434 Punjab protectees temporarily withdrawn, will be restored from June 7: State to HC

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, June 2

The Punjab and Haryana High Court was on Thursday told that the security cover of 434 protectees temporarily withdrawn or pruned due to “Ghallughara” would be restored automatically from June 7.

As the security pruning case came up for resumed hearing before Justice Raj Mohan Singh, senior deputy advocate-general Gaurav Garg Dhuriwala brought to the Bench’s notice an order issued in the matter on May 26.

Dhuriwala submitted that the order itself made it clear the security cover withdrawal or pruning was transitory in would be restored on June 7. This, Dhuriwala, submitted was with regard to the 434 protectees and not others. He also placed before the Bench in sealed cover a report submitted by the State in the matter.

Justice Raj Mohan Singh was hearing a petition filed by Punjab’s former deputy Chief Minister O P 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.

Dhuriwala, during the course of the hearing, submitted that 18 police personnel were already deployed in Soni’s security. He could pay for additional security in case he so desired. Dhuriwala added at stake was the tax-payers’ money.

Dayal on the 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, amongst 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 added there had been no change in the petitioner’s threat perception during the past four months.