The Supreme Court today ordered that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's travel records be retained following a serious security breach that left him detained on a motorway in Punjab for 20 minutes on Wednesday. The Supreme Court has ordered the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to "keep all records in his safe custody," and the Punjab Police, the Special Protection Group (SPG), and other federal and state authorities to "cooperate and provide required assistance" to him. The separate inquiries ordered by the Punjab government and the Centre have been postponed until Monday, according to a bench led by Chief Justice NV Ramana. The security lapse is a "rarest of rare" case that could lead to international embarrassment, the Centre told the Supreme Court, in support of a petition calling for an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
"The incident created a very serious situation for the PM's security," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, urging the Supreme Court to order the release of records pertaining to PM Modi's visit and security in Punjab on Wednesday. "The security lapse was caused by both the Punjab government and the police... There is also the risk of cross-border terrorism. "This should have been avoided; it's a case of potential international embarrassment," Mr. Mehta said. The Punjab government, on the other hand, stated that it is not taking the case lightly. "On the same day, we formed a committee." The Centre has also formed a committee. The state's lawyer stated, "We are open...anyone can be appointed to investigate this matter." "Our Chief Minister has stated that the Prime Minister is also our Prime Minister. We'd want to see it looked into as well. Whatever the court deems appropriate may be carried out." In the midst of a heated campaign for the upcoming Punjab election, the Centre and the state have traded accusations over an incident that occurred when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bathinda for events that included a rally in Ferozepur. PM Modi's convoy travelled via road for two hours after severe weather prohibited him from flying to the rally site by helicopter. The PM's convoy was stuck on a flyover some 10 kilometers from the event site due to protesting farmers. PM Modi turned around and left after waiting for 20 minutes, cancelling his programmers.