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Informist, Friday, Jun. 13, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea against Z+ security cover provided to Reliance Industries Ltd. Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani and his family. The apex court pulled up petitioner Bikash Saha for filing a fresh application despite the court's 2022 order that he had no locus standi to raise such an issue.

 

"The petitioner has no wherewithal nor has shown any material to show us that there is any change in the security threat to the private respondent (Ambani)," the bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Manmohan said. Dismissing Saha's plea as "frivolous", the bench cautioned the petitioner not to indulge in any similar exercise in the future, failing which the court will impose a fine on him.

 

Saha had sought periodic reassessment of the security threat to the Ambani family. The petitioner had said that the threat perception to the Ambani family could not be presumed to be permanent. Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ambani, said that the litigation amounted to harassment and questioned the petitioner's concern with assessing the security threat.

 

"Is this our domain? Is this for the Supreme Court to decide who should be given what kind of security? Who are you to assess the threat perception? It is for the government of India to decide. If something happens tomorrow, will you take responsibility?" the top court said. The bench said that whether it was a politician or a businessman, it was for the state authorities to follow a process and take a decision accordingly. 

 

The Supreme Court had in 2022 allowed the central government to continue with the security cover provided to Ambani and his family on an appeal against a Tripura High Court order. The Tripura High Court had, on a public interest litigation filed by Bikash Saha, passed two interim orders directing the central government to place the original file maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the threat perception and assessment report of Ambani, his wife and children based on which security had been granted to them. The top court had said there was no need for the high court to entertain the public interest litigation as Ambani was paying for the security.

 

The decision to provide security to Mukesh Ambani and his family had attracted severe criticism, with many accusing the government of allowing people to buy protection.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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