The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea by a Uttar Pradesh resident who sought round-the-clock security, claiming he had received a death threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta questioned the basis of the plea at the outset, asking the petitioner’s counsel, “Who is threatening you? Lawrence Bishnoi acts in UP also?” The counsel replied in the affirmative and reiterated that the petitioner needed continuous security cover.
When the bench pointed out that the Bishnoi gang is known to operate primarily in Rajasthan and Punjab, the lawyer insisted, “He acts everywhere. Not only in India.”
The court, however, noted that security assessment follows an established procedure handled by district-level, state-level and divisional-level committees. “They will deal with it,” the bench said, directing the petitioner to approach the jurisdictional high court if he was aggrieved.
The counsel submitted that the petitioner had already moved the high court, after which the competent committee considered and rejected his representation for security. “You challenge that order before the high court,” the bench responded.
Seeing the court’s reluctance to interfere, the petitioner sought permission to withdraw the plea. The bench allowed the withdrawal with liberty to pursue any other remedy available under law.
In his representation to the state authorities, the petitioner had claimed he received a death threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi, accused in multiple criminal cases, is currently in custody.
According to available information, the Bishnoi gang is believed to have operations across several states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.
