- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the Punjab Government’s request for witness statements from those who testified before former Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra regarding the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state in January 2022.
Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan instructed the state government to carry out its own investigation into the officers involved, without relying on the witness statements.
The Supreme Court had established a committee led by Indu Malhotra on January 12, 2022, to investigate the security incident. The court reviewed the committee’s report on August 25, 2022, and ordered that copies be provided to both the central and state governments, keeping the report securely sealed by the court’s secretary general.
The Bench noted that the Punjab Government had recently sent a letter requesting witness statements to pursue further actions against the officers involved. However, the court stated, “We see no ground to entertain the request made by the Punjab Government. The state may conduct its inquiry against delinquent officers without the aid of the statements said to have been made by the witnesses before the inquiry committee.”
The committee investigating the security breach concluded that the Ferozepur SSP had failed to fulfill his responsibilities despite having adequate resources at his disposal. The five-member panel reported that the SSP had ample time to act after being informed by then Punjab ADGP G Nageshwar Rao that the Prime Minister would be taking a contingency route, but he did not take the necessary actions.
