YSR Congress Party chief and previous Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Friday, Andhra Pradesh High Court put its order on his plea to revive Z-Plus security on hold.
Jagan, in his petition, stated that he had been accorded Z-Plus category security when he was Chief Minister. But after shifting to the opposition, the central government reduced his security without any notice or reason. He contended that the reduction exposed him to danger and requested the court to order an immediate restoration of his top-level security.
Plead on Thursday, the petition was to be heard the following day. But to the dismay of Jagan’s followers, the High Court delayed its ruling until after the summer recess, which left many angry, as they had hoped for a quick resolution of the matter.
After leaving the office of Chief Minister, Jagan cut down on his public outings and was seen participating in only limited functions. He has allegedly avoided following some security protocols while at these events. YSRCP leaders have criticized what they called police harassment against their members, with some of them even making claims that they would retaliate forcefully once returned to power.
During the court proceedings, Jagan reminded the judges that he had Z-Plus security when he was in power, but this protection was suddenly reduced once he became the opposition leader. He argued that this change had left him exposed to security risks.
In his appeal as well, Jagan also stated that he had approached the central government with a request to reinstate his security, but it was met with no response, prompting him to approach the legal system. Additionally, he sought the court’s authorization to employ a bulletproof vehicle of his own expense in case the government was not acting on it quickly.
Now that the case has been adjourned, Jagan and his allies will have to wait until the summer recess before they hear the final verdict from the court.
