The Delhi High Court disposed of a petition seeking Z-category security to Swami Chakrapani, the national president of the Hindu Sant Mahasabha, on account of threat from underworld dons Chhota Shakeel and Dawood Ibrahim on the Delhi Police assurance that it will assess the security threats to him afresh on or before November 5.
The police said if his security is not upgraded by the said date, it will carry out another assessment within 6 weeks from the date of previous assessment. A single-judge bench of Justice Rekha Palli disposed of the present petition with liberty to seek legal recourse, if the security is not upgraded.
Advocate Anuj Agarwal, appearing for the Delhi Police, submitted the Secret Threat Assessment Report carried out on October 5. Upon perusal of the said report, Justice Palli found certain grounds for reassessment of the security threat and Agarwal agreed to such re-assessment.
Advocate Rajesh Raina, appearing for Swami Chakrapani, submitted there was a considerable threat to the petitioner’s life and sought for threat assessment to be carried out again. He further pointed to the fact that one of the Protective Service Officer (PSO) was on the verge of retirement. “One of my PSOs is also on the verge of retirement, but I think his experience makes him more tactful,” replied Justice Palli.
On the previous date of hearing, the Delhi High Court had allowed an early hearing on a petition filed by Swami Chakrapani. The petition averred that Swami Chakrapani had bought a car at an auction at Hotel Diplomat Mumbai on December 9, 2015, belonging to Dawood Ibrahim. The very next day, he received a threat from Chhota Shakeel alias Shakeel Babu Mian Sheikh. The petitioner lodged a complaint on December 11, 2015 with Police Station Mandir Marg, New Delhi regarding the same.
According to the petition, on December 23, 2015, Swami Chakrapani along with his followers, publicly burnt the said car at a public gathering at Indirapuram, Ghaziabad. Ever since this incident, Swami Chakrapani has received numerous threats from Dawood and his aides.
The plea further contended that on June 2, 2016, the Special Cell team intercepted and arrested four henchmen with arms, headed by Junaid Chaudhary, who had taken a supari of Rs 5 lakh from Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel to eliminate Chakrapani. On June 7, 2017, Junaid and associates were apprehended with arms and ammunition near Wazirabad, where the ashram of Swami Chakrapani is situated.
According to the petition, the Centre downgraded the security cover provided to Swami from ‘Z’ to ‘X,’ without giving any reason. This was done in an arbitrary and unjust manner, leaving Swami and his family vulnerable to attacks by Chhota Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim and their associates.