Allahabad High Court, lucknow Bench has raised severe objections to the two Government Orders (GOs) on providing security and has directed the State government to reconsider them and produce fresh GOs within 3 months.
The order was passed by the Bench of Chief Justice Dr Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud and Justice D K Arora on the PIl filed by social activist Nutan Thakur. Nutan had challenged GOs dated 05 May 2008 and 11 January 2013 regarding scale of security for MlA, MPs, ex MlA/MP, Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of Corporations, Zila Panchayat Chairman, Nagar Pramukh etc. as being inherently faulty, contradictory and discriminatory. She claimed that the Court agreed to her contention and said that in their opinion, there was no need to provide definite security to University Vice Chancellors, Chairmen of various State Commission etc.
The Court said that providing security personnel merely on the basis of posts is arbitrary. Instead security shall be provided on a case to case basis, based solely on security threat and reasonableness. The Court also observed that such use of policemen affects the professionalism of police and is an improper utilization of the policemen, which needs to be immediately removed.
Meanwhile in another PIl also filed by Nutan Thakur, Allahabad High Court, lucknow Bench she sought direction to stop the political intervention by MPs, MlAs and MlCs in service related matters of government servants. The petition says that all the Government servants, in Central and State governments, are bound by Service Conduct Rules which are passed by the Parliament and the State legislatures. In these conduct rules, any canvassing by an outsider, including MPs, MlAs etc in any service related matters like transfers, promotions, departmental enquiries etc is strictly prohibited and is considered a misconduct on part of the employee.
Nutan claimed that yet the same law makers who have framed these rules are willing and regularly breaking these rules by initiating the process of external canvassing and making recommendations in service related matters. She has prayed to the High Court that the lok Sabha Speaker, the Rajya Sabha Chairman, and the Heads of State legislative bodies be directed to issue suitable guidelines to their members not to violate the law framed by them and to completely refrain from writing such recommendatory letters.