Solicitor General (SG) of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government, highlighted that the expanded jurisdiction involves concurrent powers with the local police and the powers will not be vested exclusively with the BSF.
He also emphasized that only some offences such as passport-related issues fall under the shared jurisdiction. Mehta also pointed out that the situation has changed since the suit was filed in 2021.
On the other hand, the Punjab government through advocate Shadan Farasat argued that Punjab’s relatively smaller size and the existence of parallel jurisdiction diminish the State’s authority.
In response, Mehta clarified that the notification under challenge did not cover all cognizable offences.
Farasat, however, contended that the expanded jurisdiction impacts Punjab significantly, especially in core law and order sections.
Mehta reiterated that the local police’s jurisdiction has not been taken away and instead, there was concurrent jurisdiction.
Source: Barandbench
