SCBA writes to Supreme Court panel, demands probe into threat calls made to advocates

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Wednesday wrote to inquiry panel head Justice (retd) Indu Malhotra over threat calls received by advocates with regard to the incident of breach of security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Calling it a very serious act, the SCBA requested the Committee to investigate the said incident with PM's security lapse.

"The threatening calls to lawyers is a "very serious act as it relates to the safety and security of our lawyers and also impinges upon the independence of the justice delivery system. In this view, I would request you to kindly enquire in the said incident also, the same being an incidental issue while examining the issue of breach of security," the SCBA said.

On Monday, several top Supreme Court lawyers on record received a threat call from an anonymous international number. The caller warned the judges of the apex court to refrain from hearing the plea by NGO Lawyers' Voice seeking an investigation into security breach on the ground that the SC has not been able to culprits of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

PM Modi's security breached: SC constitutes probe panel

A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Monday set a committee headed by former SC judge Justice Indu Malhotra to probe the breach of PM's security on January 5 during his visit to Punjab's Ferozepur.  A bench comprising of Justice NV Ramana, Justices Hima Kohli and Surya Kant, while setting up the independent panel, said an issue related to PM's breach cannot be decided by "one-sided inquiry" of Centre or the state government and it has to be by a "judicially trained mind."

Observing, the blame game between Centre and Punjab, the bench said, "war of words between them is no solution. It may rather impair the need of a robust mechanism to respond at such a critical juncture." Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stuck atop a flyover for 15-20 minutes while on his way to Ferozepur in Punjab on January 5 due to the road ahead being obstructed by some protestors. The Union Home Ministry had called it a major security lapse.