NITIN SHANKAR DESHPANDE Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This petition purports to be Public Interest Litigation.

(2.) The petitioners have relied upon several newspaper reports indicating that the Government of India in the Home Ministry has approved an armed squad of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandos for security of respondent no.2 after he received threats from certain terrorist organizations including threats of attack at his residence in Mumbai. The petitioners do not dispute the threat perception but the only ground of challenge to the impugned decision of the Government of India is that the decision is not supported by any statutory provisions. It is submitted that the Central Reserve Police Force Act, 1949 (hereinafter referred to as "the Act"), provides for constitution and regulation of armed Central Reserve Police Force for restoration and maintenance of law and order in any part of Indian Union and that the CRPF cannot be employed for giving protection to any individual.

(3.) In response to the query from the Court whether the issue raised in this petition is subject of any matter pending before the Supreme Court, learned Counsel for the petitioners states that there is no such proceeding pending before the Supreme Court regarding the subject matter of this petition.