On Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the protection of all travel documents pertaining to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Punjab, which was overshadowed by an alleged security breakdown that resulted in the PM returning to the airport without attending scheduled engagements.
While hearing a petition seeking a court-monitored investigation into the security breach allegations, the Supreme Court ordered the Punjab government to secure all records and materials relating to the Prime Minister’s movements in the state on Wednesday in the custody of the Punjab & Haryana high court’s registrar-general.
The Punjab Police, the Special Protection Group (SPG), and other central and state authorities were also ordered to help the registrar-general, who will be responsible for the safekeeping of the travel data.
The Chandigarh director-general of police (DGP) and a National Investigation Agency (NIA) official would also serve as nodal authorities to liaise with the registrar-general, according to the apex court.
It was also made clear that the investigations into the incident by the Centre and the Punjab government will be suspended till Monday (January 10), when the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Lawyer’s Voice will be heard.
