HC dismisses PIL seeking end to govt-funded security for RSS chief

Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday dismissed a PIL seeking to end state-funded Z-plus security for the offices of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) offices in Nagpur and for its chief, Mohan Bhagwat. The PIL also sought to recover the security costs from the RSS. The bench, led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Anil Kilor, observed that the plea appeared to have been filed with a "specific motive" and rejected it on the same ground.The petition was filed by Nagpur-based social activist Lalankishore Singh, who argued that the central govt, by providing Z-plus security cover to an unregistered organisation and its top leader, was using taxpayers' money instead of making the group bear the cost itself.Citing the Supreme Court's February 27, 2023, ruling in Mukesh Ambani's security case, where the court held that in special circumstances security costs should be fully recovered from the concerned person or organisation, Singh's plea demanded that the state recover about ₹40-45 lakh a month, which it spends on RSS security in Nagpur, from the Sangh or from individuals linked to it.Advocate Ashwin Ingole, appearing for the petitioner, contended that the state-funded security arrangement for the Sangh's offices and for Bhagwat was at odds with the principle that exceptional protection, when not mandated for constitutional or statutory reasons, must be paid for by the beneficiary, not by the public exchequer. The court, however, did not rule on the broader policy question, choosing instead to emphasise doubts about the petition's underlying purpose and declining to entertain the relief sought.