KOCHI: Bad news for retired judges of Kerala High Court. The state home department has decided to withdraw the personal security officers (PSO) provided to retired judges within Kochi city police limits.
The department has also decided to withdraw the PSOs allotted to state attorney, additional director general of prosecution and a former judge of the Ernakulam NIA Special Court.
The order was issued based on a report from the protection review committee, including chief secretary and state police chief.
The government has withdrawn four armed guards deployed for personal security of Justice B Kemal Pasha and the two PSOs allotted for Justice A V Ramakrishna Pillai since 2012.
The PSOs granted for Justice V Ramkumar, Justice P Ubaid, Police Complaint Authority former chairman P S Divakaran, Justice S Sirijagan, former NIA court judge S Vijayakumar, former DG prosecution (Administration) Baburajan Paramel, state attorney K V Sohan and additional director general of prosecution Suresh Babu Thomas have been withdrawn. Responding to the decision Justice B Kemal Pasha said the move of the government was to silence dissenting voices.
“I have criticised the government on several occasions especially in the Walayar case, the alleged killing of four Maoists in an encounter by the police in Attappadi forest area and the slapping of UAPA case against two youths in Kozhikode. I suspect my criticism has irked the government and the police association,” he said pointing out that the threat issued by fundamentalists against him still exists. However, he relieved the four police officer soon after receiving the notice from the police.
The state government had granted police protection to Kemal Pasha following an intelligence report that the IS module busted by the National Investigation Agency from Kanakamala in Kannur district in 2016 had planned an attack on him.
The report said the IS had targeted the judge, a police officer and several RSS leaders in the state.
Former NIA court judge S Vijayakumar said he has no hesitation in sending back the security personnel provided by the government.
But the terrorist cases in which he passed verdicts were pending before the High Court.
Meanwhile, sources said certain persons have started lobbying with the government to retain the security cover.
Ivan Rathinam, Commandant, AR Camp, Ernakulam, said that he has issued to notices to all to report to the camp. The report in this regard will be filed before the home department, he added.
PROTECTIVE COVER
The order was issued based on a report from the protection review committee. The government has withdrawn four armed guards deployed for personal security of Justice B Kemal Pasha and the two PSOs allotted for Justice AV Ramakrishna Pillai. Personal Security Officers for Justice V Ramkumar, Justice P Ubaid, and Justice S Sirijagan and former NIA judge S Vijayakumar too have been withdrawn