Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Tuesday directed the state govt to consider representations submitted by former DGPs Swaranjit Sen and J Purnachandra Rao against the withdrawal of their security cover and take an appropriate decision after giving them an opportunity to be heard.Justice T Madhavi Devi, hearing separate petitions filed by the retired police officers, ordered that the security withdrawn from them should continue until the govt takes a final decision on their representations. The court had recently issued similar directions in a petition filed by former IPS officer and BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar.Swaranjit Sen, who served as the DGP of undivided Andhra Pradesh and retired in 2006, had been provided personal security officers (PSOs), an armed guard and a bomb resistant vehicle after retirement.Govt pleader for home Mahesh Raje argued that Sen had never worked in Maoist-affected areas and could not claim security protection as a matter of right.However, Sen’s counsel contended that, as DGP, he played a key role in effectively tackling Maoism and continued to face a threat to his life.In a separate petition, Purnachandra Rao, who retired in 2021, alleged that his security cover was being withdrawn without prior notice despite facing security threats. Both retired officers sought directions from the court for continuation of their security cover.During the hearing, the judge observed that every protectee must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. “There will be certain officers who are given protection based on their position. And there might be some people who might have developed animosity against them due to the positions they held.”The court directed the govt to consider their representations, provide them a personal hearing and pass appropriate orders after assessing whether the security cover needs to be continued. The petitions were accordingly disposed of.
