The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking the withdrawal of Z+ security cover for industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family, issuing a stern warning to the petitioner, Bikash Saha, against filing similar pleas in the future.
A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan reaffirmed that the Z+ category security—India’s highest level of protection—will continue for Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani, and their children, both domestically and abroad. The Court also reiterated that the cost of this security will be borne by the Ambani family, as previously ordered.
Saha’s petition challenged the Court’s earlier decision from February 2023 and argued that threat assessments should be subject to regular review. However, the bench dismissed the plea as baseless, emphasizing that Saha had no locus standi in the matter. It reiterated that threat evaluations are the responsibility of authorized government agencies, not individuals or the judiciary.
Representing the Ambanis, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi maintained that the issue had already been settled by the Court and that Saha had no direct link to the case. The bench criticized the repeated filing of “frivolous” and “vexatious” petitions, cautioning that future attempts could attract heavy penalties.
Justice Manmohan also questioned whether it was appropriate for the judiciary to interfere in national security decisions, noting that such matters rightly fall under the government's jurisdiction based on intelligence reports.
The Court concluded by upholding the Z+ security cover for the Ambani family and warned against the misuse of the judicial process for personal or publicity-driven motives.