The Delhi High Court ordered police to urgently decide on NSUI leader Ronak Khatri’s request for security after he received death and extortion threats from gangster Rohit Godara. The Court said it’s the State’s duty to protect every citizen’s life.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Delhi Police to quickly take action on a request made by National Students Union of India (NSUI) leader and former Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President Ronak Khatri for protection after he allegedly received extortion calls from gangster Rohit Godara.
Justice Ravindra Dudeja passed this order while closing the plea filed by Khatri. The Court made it clear that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of every citizen.
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The Court said,
“It is the duty of the State to ensure protection of the life of all the citizens of the country. This Court being the constitutional court is expected to further the constitutional protection of citizens. Since the petitioner perceives threat to the life, the DCP Outer North and DCP Special Cell are directed to expedite the request for police protection.”
The Court also ordered that a beat constable and the concerned Station House Officer (SHO) must visit Khatri every day until the Special Cell of the Delhi Police finishes its threat perception assessment regarding the danger he may be facing.
These officers were also told to respond immediately to any threatening call Khatri might receive.
In its order, the Court said,
“The beat constables and SHO shall be duly counselled to attend the call if made (to the) petitioner. It is further directed that the beat constable shall visit the petitioner at least once for the next two weeks to ensure his well being.”
Khatri told the Court that on September 29, he received a WhatsApp call from a Ukraine-based number. The caller, who claimed to be gangster Rohit Godara, allegedly threatened to kill him unless he paid ₹5 crore.
During the hearing, the State’s Senior Standing Counsel Sanjay Lao informed the Court that Khatri had already been given the phone number of the beat constable.
He also mentioned that Khatri’s application for police security has been forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Outer North and is now under consideration by the Special Cell for assessing the level of threat.
Lao stated,
“We can send one beat constable to his house everyday to assess if he is in trouble. The call (on extending police protection) has to be taken by Special Cell.”
Khatri’s lawyer emphasized before the Court that the threat is serious and his client fears for his life. He said,
“I am not able to campaign and step out of my house. Already a month has passed, there is credible threat, he (the gangster who allegedly made the threats) is a history sheeter. The threat is imminent. One person has been shot by the same modus operandi.”
With these directions, the High Court asked the Delhi Police to act swiftly and ensure that Khatri’s safety concerns are properly addressed until the Special Cell completes its threat assessment.
The order reinforces the Court’s message that citizen protection remains a constitutional and moral duty of the State.
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