Allahabad HC warns UP govt of contempt in plea over Bishnoi gang threat

The Allahabad High Court has granted the Uttar Pradesh government one more month to comply with its order asking a state-level committee to decide on a man's application seeking security after he received a death threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

In case the order has not been complied with by the end of the one-month period, the court asked Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad, to whom the petitioner submitted his application, to appear before it on the next date of hearing to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him.

Justice Piyush Agrawal passed the order on Tuesday on a contempt application filed by Abhishek Som of Meerut. The court fixed May 19 as the next date of hearing.

In its order dated January 31, the court asked the petitioner to file a detailed representation to the committee seeking security. The petitioner filed the representation on February 28 to Prasad but the court's order has not been complied with.

In its order on Tuesday, the court said, "From a perusal of the records of the case, a prima facie case for contempt is made out against the opposite party. Let us issue notice to the opposite party."  "However, in the interest of justice, one more opportunity is granted to the opposite party to comply with the court's order within a period of one month and file an affidavit to the same effect," it said.

"In case by the next date fixed, the directions of the writ court are not complied with and an affidavit to that effect is not filed, the opposite party shall remain present before this court on the date fixed to explain as to why the contempt proceedings may not be initiated against him for willfully flouting the order of the court," it said.

In his representation submitted to Prasad, the petitioner sought security for himself, stating that he had received a death threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.