Court orders security to judges, lawyers of Ayodhya title suit

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh and the central governments to improve security arrangements of three judges, who pronounced the judgement in the Ayodhya title suit, and the lawyers involved in the case.

The order was passed by the Luckhnow bench of justices Devi Prasad Singh and Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya on Thursday on a writ petition filed by a local lawyer Ranjana Agnihotri, who was associated with the Ayodhya suit.

The bench fixed January 15 as the date of filing the compliance report.

The court order came in the wake of the report submitted by the Intelligence Bureau regarding threat perception to the three judges and the lawyers.

"The IB report reveals that recce of the Bench was done even before the delivery of the judgement and later on SIMI activists chalked out a plan to eliminate not only the judges, but also the advocates who appeared in the Ram Janam Bhumi-Babri Masjid case," the court said.

According to the IB report, SIMI activists have joined hands with Indian Mujahideen to make their plan successful, it said.

The court observed that the report of IB indicates the nature of threat emanating from IED and rapid fire, beside other such devices.

"The use of explosive material and petrol tanker has also not been ruled out. Accordingly, the IB recommended that appropriate security may be provided since there is imminent threat to the judges," it said.

The court directed that Justice S U Khan and (Retired) Justice D V Sharma be provided Z category security with improved arrangements.

It said that the state government shall provide necessary assistance as well as infrastructure to central security agency personnel posted at their residences.

The Bench directed that Justice Sudhir Agarwal be provided Z+ category security.

"Let central government take appropriate decision and substitute present security arrangements by personnel of its own agency with Z+ category security within a period of one month. Till then present security arrangement shall continue," it directed.