PM Security Lapse: Why Supreme Court directive is a setback for Punjab

The Supreme Court on Friday dealt a major blow to the Punjab government with regard to lapses in the security arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state earlier this week. During the course of the hearing, the bench comprising Chief JI NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli said highlighted that the security of the Prime Minister was of paramount importance.

According to experts, the Punjab government has been compelled to agree to other agencies probing the happenings on January 5. The Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been asked to keep all documents in its possession. 

The Bench appointed a National Investigation Agency officer and the Director-General of Police-Chandigarh as nodal officers to coordinate with the Registrar General. This assumes significance as these officers are neither linked to the Punjab government nor the Punjab cadre. It must be noted that the involvement of the NIA indicates that the Supreme Court took into consideration the provisions of the Special Protection Group Act, 1988. Section 14 of the SPG Act states that the state government is obligated to assist the SPG for the security of the Prime Minister of India. 

The Punjab government informed the court that it had appointed a two-member committee to probe the major security lapse that had occurred and that the same was headed by Justice Mehtab Singh Gill along with the Principal Secretary of the Home Affairs and Justice. However, midway into the hearing, the Punjab Advocate General disowned its very own committee in view of the submissions made by the petitioner that Justice Gill was not a suitable person in view of the observations made by the Supreme Court in the past against him.

Also Read: Exclusive video of PM Modi's convoy waiting for 20 minutes over flyover in Punjab

Also Read: SC directs Punjab and Haryana HC Registrar General to 'preserve' PM's travel records

• CJI
• Channi government
• Charanjit singh channi
• MHA
• Ministry of Home Affairs
• Narendra Modi
• PM security lapse case
• Punjab
• Supreme Court