The Punjab government has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the decision to withdraw the Punjab Police security cover provided to Rajya Sabha MP and former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh was taken pursuant to a periodic threat perception assessment conducted by the State Security Review Committee and was not linked to his resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or his subsequent induction into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The submission was made before Justice Jagmohan Bansal, who was hearing a writ petition filed by Harbhajan Singh challenging the order dated April 25, 2026, issued by the Additional Director General of Police (Security), Punjab, withdrawing his State-provided security cover. The petitioner has sought quashing of the impugned order and issuance of a writ of mandamus directing the State to restore his security protection.
In his plea, Harbhajan Singh alleged that the withdrawal of his security cover was arbitrary, mala fide and actuated by political considerations. He contended that the state withdrew his security immediately after he resigned from the AAP on April 24, 2026, without conducting any fresh threat assessment or affording him an opportunity of hearing, thereby violating the principles of natural justice.
He further submitted that protesters assembled outside his residence in Jalandhar, pasted posters branding him a traitor and publicly targeted him following his political exit, demonstrating that the threat perception continued to exist and that the abrupt withdrawal of security exposed both him and his family to potential risk.
Refuting these allegations, the Punjab government submitted that the decision to withdraw the security cover was based on the recommendations of the Security Review Committee during its meeting held on March 3, 2026, nearly two months before Harbhajan Singh resigned from the ruling party.
Relying on an affidavit filed by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (Security), the State asserted that the periodic security review revealed no specific intelligence inputs or actionable threat warranting continuation of the existing deployment. It further submitted that Harbhajan Singh’s official engagements within Punjab were limited and that he predominantly resided outside the State.
Accordingly, the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, was directed to ensure his security through local police deployment whenever required. The State also pointed out that, under the applicable security protocol, deployment of Punjab Police personnel beyond the State’s territorial jurisdiction is ordinarily permissible only for a limited duration.
The State further informed the Court that the Ministry of Home Affairs had already sanctioned Y+ category security cover to Harbhajan Singh through the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by an order dated May 4, 2026. It assured the Court that, in addition to the central security cover, the Punjab government would continue to provide local security deployment whenever the petitioner visited the State, subject to prevailing threat perception and operational requirements.
During an earlier hearing, Justice Bansal directed the Punjab government to ensure that no physical harm comes to Harbhajan Singh or any member of his family while they remain in Punjab. The Court had also sought responses from the State government and the Union of India on the issues raised in the writ petition.
The Bench had further questioned the deployment of approximately 23 Punjab Police personnel in the petitioner’s security detail after official records prima facie reflected sanction for only eight personnel, observing that the additional deployment required an explanation.
The petition raises important issues concerning the legality of withdrawing security cover, the procedure governing periodic threat perception assessments by the Security Review Committee, adherence to the principles of natural justice, the scope of judicial review over administrative decisions relating to security classification, and allegations of arbitrariness and political bias in the exercise of executive discretion. The matter is pending further consideration before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
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