A Public Interest Litigation had been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to all the civil & military authorities to act under the superintendence of the Special Protection Group (SPG), when called upon, for ensuring security of the Prime Minister & his immediate family members.
The Division bench comprising Chief Justice DN Patel & Justice Jyoti Singh was inclined to direct, initially, the respondents to treat the petition as a representation. But after Central Government Standing Counsel Amit Mahajan submitted that the PIL may have some overlapping issues with a petition already pending before the Supreme Court, the bench simply adjourned the matter till April 30.
Advocate V Govinda Ramanan, who was appearing on behalf of the petitioner, argued that the plea is limited to seeking Prime Minister’s safety under Section 14 of the Special Protection Group Act, 1988; hence allowing local, state or central levels to coordinate under the superintendence of the SPG to ensure the safety & security of the Prime Minister, whenever there is a need, he submitted. The petitioner pointed out that it had come to his knowledge through media reports that it had come his knowledge through media reports that there was a breach in the security of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab, & that he was struck on a flyover for more than 20 minutes which puts his life at risk of a terrorist attack.
It said that the country has already seen & experienced the consequences of such a fata lapses, citing the assassinations of two former Prime Ministers and therefore, it poses a threat to the national security.
