India News | Cal HC Orders Restoration of Security to Retired IPS Officer

Kolkata, Apr 10 (PTI) The Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered immediate restoration of security to retired IPS officer Pankaj Dutta, holding that the link between the sudden withdrawal of security to him and his criticism of the current police establishment cannot be brushed aside.

Dutta, who retired in the rank of inspector general in West Bengal police in 2011, moved the high court challenging the decision of the state police administration to withdraw his security, stating that he has been getting such cover till January 2023 since his superannuation.

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Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed that the security which Dutta was enjoying before its withdrawal on January 11, 2023, be restored immediately as an interim measure.

A report by the police before the court stated that a review of threat perception to all retired senior officials is held every six months and in the last such review, security to six of them including Dutta was withdrawn.

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The court observed that the timing of the withdrawal of security when the petitioner has been vocal against the current police establishment is too blatant to be brushed aside.

"Constructive criticism of the State is a necessary and essential right of any citizen. It is a recognised right in any democracy," Justice Mantha observed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)