Former cricketer and Rajya Sabha member Harbhajan Singh faced an adverse turn when the Punjab and Haryana High Court rejected his petition for getting back his Punjab Police protection. This is due to the fact that no such evidence was presented by the petitioner that the reason for withdrawal of his security was solely based on the grounds of his being out of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Furthermore, the High Court observed that protests outside his residence or being labelled a "traitor" did not automatically constitute a threat to his life, particularly as the demonstrations had remained non-violent. Taking into account the Y-category security already provided to him by the Central Government, alongside the Punjab government's assurance that local security would be arranged whenever he visits the state, the court disposed of the petition without issuing any further directives.
Harbhajan Singh resigned from the AAP on April 24, and his Punjab Police security was withdrawn the following day. He later joined the BJP alongside Raghav Chadha, and his status as a Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP was subsequently formalised in Parliament.
In the petition, Singh’s legal counsel argued that he had previously been assigned around 25 Punjab Police personnel while serving with the AAP, only for the cover to be revoked immediately after his departure. The petition claimed the decision was made without a proper threat assessment or giving him a chance to present his case. It also contended that demonstrations outside his Jalandhar home, where protesters put up posters calling him a "traitor", posed a genuine threat to his safety that warranted the reinstatement of his protection.
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