Notice to CBI and state government, time till August 20.
Shimla
Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken a serious stand while hearing the petition of ASI Pankaj Sharma, accused of disappearing the pen drive and deleting its data in the famous Chief Engineer Vimal Negi death case. A single bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goyal has issued notice to CBI and state government and ordered to file a reply by August 20.
Pankaj Sharma’s petition claims that the kind of security system he has been kept under directly violates his fundamental right to privacy. The petitioner has told the court that he is being kept under 24-hour surveillance. He has been confined to a single room and CCTV cameras have been installed in that room as well.
The petitioner also alleges that in the name of security, strict control is being exercised on his life, which is unconstitutional. The petition demands that such surveillance be removed and he should get the right to freedom and privacy like a normal person.
The High Court has taken this petition seriously and has sent a notice to the state government and the central investigating agency CBI and sought clarification. Now the next hearing will be on August 20, the day when it will be decided whether the surveillance will be removed or not.
