Chennai
Hearing senior advocate Maninder Singh's PIL that sought a court-monitored probe on Friday, the Supreme Court has directed the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High courts to secure and preserve the travel records of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Punjab visit.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta came down heavily on the lapse, calling it an "international embarassment". Maninder Singh appearing for petitioner Lawyers' voice alleged that the chairman of the state-appointed committee was a part of a huge "service-related scam".
Singh in his further arguments said that this incident falls under the ambit of the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act, and not a mere state subject and a law and order issue. "The incident needs to be professionally investigated," he added.
SG Tushar Mehta airing the seriousness of the issue, calling the matter a case of cross-border terrorism, urged SC's consent for NIA's assistance in the probe. Punjab's Advocate General DS Patwalia responded saying that the Punjab government is taking the issue very seriously and has constituted a committee the very day the incident occurred.
The Supreme Court while asking probing agencies to halt investigations till Monday asked it to offer assistance to the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana HCs in sealing details on PM's Punjab visit.
The bench, also comprising justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, has taken note of the plea alleging serious breach in the Prime Minister's security that took place in Ferozepur, Punjab, on Wednesday and it had led to the stalling of his cavalcade in Bathinda for around 20 minutes.
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