CJI on security cover for former State HC’s chief justice

From A Reporter 
SHILLONG, March 22: The bench of Chief Justice of India JS Khehar on Wednesday passed a detailed order on a plea questioning former Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Umath Singh’s suo motu order providing security cover for himself and other judges for post-retirement period.
The Supreme Court order is the outcome of a special leave petition filed before the Apex Court by a resident of Paliar, Jowai, Sajay Laloo in August 2016, against the order issued by the division bench of the Meghalaya High Court in January 2016 which stated that the court’s serving and retired chief justices and judges must all be provided Z-plus security and treated as ‘state guests’.
The questioble order was passed on the eve of Justice Umath Singh’s retirement as Chief Justice of Meghalaya.
Earlier last month, by way of a letter to the Secretary General of Supreme Court, Justice Singh defended his retirement eve order directing the state (Meghalaya) to provide him ‘Z’ category security post-retirement, citing that he perceived threat to his life from orders he had passed in his capacity as a judge of Allahabad High Court and as CJ of Meghalaya High Court.