SC stays Tripura HC's order seeking details of security given to Mukesh Ambani, family

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Tripura High Court orders seeking details of the security cover provided to Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and his family.

The top court agreed to examine a plea filed by the Centre against the High Court's orders and issued notice to the petitioner before the High Court.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, submitted before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala that the High Court wanted to examine the threat perception.

The bench stayed the High Court's interim orders, passed in May and June on a PIL filed by Bikash Saha and fixed the matter for hearing next month.

Terming the PIL as “misconceived, frivolous and motivated,” the Ministry of Home Affairs, in its appeal, stated that the PIL was filed by a person "who has no locus in the matter and is just a meddlesome interloper, claiming to be a social activist and student.”

The Centre also said that the HC "failed to appreciate that the family members were neither residents of Tripura nor any part of the cause of action remotely arising from Tripura existed," thus the state HC had no jurisdiction over this matter.

“To provide a security cover or not to a civilian on the basis of threat perception is a technical matter which requires the expertise of trained persons manning law, order and security of the State. Therefore, these decision taken by such experts is not judicially reviewable," the appeal had stated.

It further pointed out that Z-plus category security to Mukesh Ambani in 2013 and Y-plus category CRPF cover to his wife Neeta in 2016 were given on the basis of inputs and assessment report received from intelligence and investigation units and the expense for giving such security was also duly borne out by the Ambanis.

However, no central security cover was given to their children - Akash, Anant and Isha. The Maharashtra government had provided security to Mukesh Ambani and his family based on an evaluation of threat perception by the Centre.