The Punjab and Haryana high court has ruled against any security being given to IAS officers tasked with civil administration or quasi-judicial work. The HC has ordered the Haryana government to withdraw the security immediately if any IAS officer in the state is doing civil administration duties or quasi-judicial work and having it.
Justice Harkesh Manuja passed these orders while expanding the scope of a criminal matter on October 4. The court has also asked Haryana DGP to file an affidavit mentioning if any IPS officer in the state has been assigned such duties in any board or corporation.
While deposing before the court, Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor submitted that no security has been provided to IAS officers tasked with civil administrative works and responsibilities, except those dealing with maintenance of law and order under extraordinary circumstances. The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on Oct 28.
The HC has already clarified that the state should recover the cost incurred on security cover if it is provided to an individual from a political party, religious group or entertainment industry. The court also made it clear that the eligibility criteria should be clearly defined by the state while considering extending security to individuals outside traditionally identified categories.
