Setback for BJP MP Harbhajan Singh as Punjab and Haryana HC rejects plea seeking restoration of Punjab security
The court said there was no evidence to conclude that his security was withdrawn simply because he had left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
PTC News Desk: Former cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh has suffered setback after the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his plea seeking the restoration of his Punjab Police security.
The court said there was no evidence to conclude that his security was withdrawn simply because he had left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). It observed that the decision had already been taken by the Security Review Committee.
The High Court also said that protests outside his house or being called a "traitor" do not, by themselves, prove a threat to his life, especially when the demonstrations were not violent.
Taking note of the Y security provided by the Centre and the Punjab government's assurance that local security would be provided whenever Harbhajan visits the state, the court disposed of the petition without issuing any further directions.
Harbhajan Singh had quit the AAP on April 24, and his Punjab Police security was withdrawn the following day, April 25. He later joined the BJP along with Raghav Chadha, and was subsequently approved by Parliament as a BJP Rajya Sabha MP.
In his petition, Harbhajan's lawyer told the High Court that he had been provided security by around 25 Punjab Police personnel while he was with the AAP. After he left the party, his security was withdrawn the very next day.
The petition argued that the decision was taken without any security review and without giving him an opportunity to present his case. It also claimed that protesters had gathered outside his house in Jalandhar and put up posters calling him a "traitor", creating a genuine threat to his safety and justifying the restoration of his security.