lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Government and the DGP to file their replies within four weeks regarding rules for providing security cover to any person in the State.
Activist Nutan Thakur has filed a PIl challenging two UP Government orders (May 5, 2008 and January 11, 2013) regarding scale of security for MlA, MPs, ex-MlAs/MPs, chairmen and vice chairmen of corporations, zila panchayat chief, nagar pramukh etc. She termed it as inherently faulty, contradictory and discriminatory adding that while a sitting MlA/MP has been provided two security persons free of cost, an ex-MlA/MP has been provided only that too on 10 per cent payment while corporation chairmen and vice chairmen have again been allotted one assured security person and another on 10 per cent basis.
However, as per Nutan Thakur, blanket order regarding security persons to all these category of people shows non-application of mind. Similarly, the provision that ordinary citizen can be provided security persons only on payment basis, howsoever imminent their needs might be, shows its discriminatory nature.