PIL in SC seeks judicial probe into Parliament security breach
Dec 18, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 18 : A lawyer has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking independent and impartial judicial investigation under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge into the security breach in the lower house of Parliament.
On the 22nd anniversary of the Parliament terror attack, there was a major security breach when two intruders entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor gallery during Zero Hour on December 13.
Two men, who had entered the Parliament on visitors' passes, jumped from the visitors' gallery into the Lok Sabha hall and opened smoke canisters, filling the house with coloured smoke.
The petition filed by advocate Abu Sohel through advocate Shruti Bisht said that the incident has exposed a major breach in the security system of the Parliament.
The plea sought an "independent, credible and impartial" Judicial investigation under the supervision of a Retired Supreme Court Judge into the incident.
"The petition seeks judicial intervention in the matter of major security breach coinciding with the Anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack when two men carrying smoke canisters on December 13 gained unauthorised entry into the lower house of Parliament resulting thereby a huge damage caused to the reputation of the nation in the world," the plea stated.
"It was a complete security lapse as the smoke could have been poisonous more or in place of smoke canisters they could have entered with lethal ammunition which is very much shocking that when a highest house (temple) of the nation wherein the future of the nation is decided, is under stake then the citizens of India are also under stake, resulting the judicial interference," it added.
Two people--Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D--jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted anti-establishment slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.
Outside parliament, in another incident, two protestors -- Neelam (42) and Amol (25) -- protested outside the Parliament with similar gas canisters. However, all four were sent to seven-day custody of Delhi Police Special Cell on December 14.
