Lucknow : The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to withdraw, within 10 days, security provided to 288 people with criminal antecedents.
This list includes former ministers Ram Achal Rajbhar, Rakeshdhar Tripathi, Daddu Prasad, Nand Gopal Gupta, Harish Nagpal, D.P. Yadav, Pankaj Chaudhary, Begum Noor Bano and many Samajwadi Party leaders.
Justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya said security should be provided in future only for those who actually face threats.
In a 429-page counter affidavit filed by Home Secretary Kamal Saxena, the government also named 562 people who enjoy security despite having licenses to hold weapons and 127 others protected on judicial orders.
Hearing a public interest litigation by a social activist, the court advised the Akhilesh Yadav government to refrain from giving security to those who have an arms licence.