Haryana Police moves Punjab and Haryana HC for nod to withdraw Randeep Singh Surjewala’s additional security

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Police has approached the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking directions to withdraw additional security provided to senior Congress functionary and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala as he has triple security cover at present, from the Centre, Haryana and Rajasthan.An application has been filed by the Haryana Police through Sumer Pratap Singh, SP (Security-1), in connection with an ongoing petition pending before the high court regarding Surjewala’s security cover.“He (Randeep Surjewala) has not only been provided with double security but has triple security cover at present. No one is even entitled to double security cover in view of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) guidelines issued to all the states and UTs through a reference bearing F No. 23014/285/2011-VS dated November 23, 2017. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan and has been provided with a personal security officer (PSO) as per the report received from SP, CID (Security), Rajasthan, vide letter No. 2384 dated August 10, 2022,” according to the application filed by Singh.The state police also requested that its application pending in the HC for adjudication since November 26, 2019, be decided and sought permission to withdraw its security personnel in the interest of justice, equity, and fair play.The application has been filed by the Haryana Police in view of the orders passed by the HC in 2017 that its permission would be needed in case of withdrawal of any security from Surjewala by the Centre or the state.Interestingly, the MHA in its reply placed before the HC in January 2017 had made it clear that there is no specific and credible input of threat to Surjewala. However, the then bench headed by Justice Amit Rawal had ordered the state to provide him Y-category security by considering him a central protectee as he spends most of his time in Delhi. Since then, Surjewala has been enjoying the Centre’s security along with security from Haryana Police.MHA RulesA reference in its letter, dated November 23, 2017, issued by the director (VS), Government of India, MHA IS-II division, VIP Security section, New Delhi to all the states/UTs stated that many individuals were being provided categorised security by both state and central governments. The letter made it clear that if any protectee was provided security by both the Centre and state then the lower category security will be automatically withdrawn. The state governments were also requested to withdraw their protection if it is a category lower than being provided by the Centre. The ministry of home affairs also clarified that double protection to an individual should not be provided and the armed guard component shall be deployed only at the principal residence of the protectee.