SC allows Centre to continue security cover for Mukesh Ambani, family in Mumbai

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday approved the "Z" category security cover provided by the Centre to billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani and his family in Mumbai, noting that he was fully paying the cost.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli also quashed a PIL pending before Tripura High Court challenging his security cover, stressing that the High Court has nothing to do with the security cover in far off Mumbai.

Directing the Centre to continue with the security cover, the Bench questioned the locus of the petitioner in the PIL filed before the High Court.

The government had moved the top court challenging the Tripura High Court's directions on the PIL. It informed the court that "Z" category security was given to Mukesh Ambani in 2013 and "Y" category CRPF cover to his wife Neeta Ambani in 2016.

A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and Jamshed B Pardiwala had stayed the High Court's orders on June 29 on the Centre's petition. In the impugned order, the High Court directed for production of MHA's files relating to security given to the family.

When the matter was taken up for hearing, CJI Ramana at the outset questioned the petitioner's locus to file the PIL. "What is your locus and why are you bothered about the security? The government is there, they will take care. Why are you bothered? What is your locus? What is your concern? It's somebody's security," CJI asked the petitioner's counsel who had preferred the PIL in the High Court.