“We are taking the PM’s security violation very seriously,” the bench added. The bench also stated that it will request that the committee deliver its report to it in a timely manner. The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to appoint a panel to investigate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breakdown in Punjab last week, which would be led by a former apex court judge.
After a thorough hearing, a bench led by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli announced that the court would form a committee headed by a retired top court judge to investigate the PM’s security breach, and asked both the Centre and the Punjab government not to proceed with their respective investigations.
The bench said: “We are taking the PM’s security breach very seriously”. The bench added that it will ask the committee to submit its report to it within a short span.
Advocate General D.S. Patwalia, representing the Punjab government, complained against show-cause notices to its chief secretary and DGP. He urged the top court to form an independent committee to probe the matter. “Hang me if I am guilty… but don’t condemn me unheard,” submitted Patwalia.
The show-cause notifications issued by the Central government were defended by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Centre. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, expressed its disapproval with the Centre’s position, questioning the point of asking the court to investigate the matter if the Centre decided to proceed on its own.
Senior counsel Maninder Singh, who is representing the Delhi-based petitioner Lawyer’s Voice, stressed the significance of providing safety to the country’s Prime Minister, citing a prior Supreme Court judgement on the SPG Act.
The petition demanded an impartial investigation into the PM’s security breakdown in Punjab. It asked District Judge Bathinda to collect, preserve, and present any documentation relevant to the movement and deployment of Punjab Police in connection with the Prime Minister’s visit, as well as assigning duty to the DGP and the Punjab Chief Secretary.
On January 6, the Ministry of Home Affairs formed a three-member committee to investigate “severe failures in security arrangements” during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur, Punjab, ahead of the general election. “The committee will be led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat, and will include Balbir Singh, Joint Director, IB, and S. Suresh, IG, SPG,” according to the MHA.
Prasanta Patnaik