HC fires salvo at Mulayam over gunmen issue

LUCKNOW: With state Assembly elections round the corner, legal noose around Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is tightening. After being castigated by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case, the SP supremo is in soup now for allotting gunmens to party members, workers, student leaders and people with criminal antecedents.

The Allahabad high court has criticised Mulayam Singh government for disregarding all rules, norms and discretion to provide gunmens to people with criminal records. The court has ordered immediate withdrawal of gunmen provided to 29 SP workers. “The chief minister does not have unlimited powers,” the court said in a strongly-worded order while hearing a PIL.

The court said Singh could not allot gunmen to anyone, but merely provide extension to gunmen that have already been allotted. The state government’s ‘high-powered committee’ reviewing allocation of gunmen has also been scrapped. The HC has directed the EC to form a committee to review the matter.

State Home Secretary K Chandramouli told DNA that about 1,500 of the total 2,462 gunmen have already been withdrawn. He said over Rs 1 crore has been recovered as dues for deployment of gunmen. The court has also directed all district police chiefs to review the threat perception of people getting security and file a report within two weeks. It has said that while providing gunmen, preference should be given to witnesses in various cases.