AHMEDABAD: Retired judge Jyotsna Yagnik will have her security cover upgraded to Z category. P K Taneja, additional chief secretary (home), said that after receiving a report by the review committee, the state government had agreed to upgrade the security of the retired judge.

As special SIT judge, Yagnik had convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment 32 accused in the Naroda Patia massacre case of 2002. The convicted persons included former BJP minister Mayaben Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader, Babu Bajrangi.

It may be recalled that her security cover was downgraded from Z to Y after her retirement. She had then received nine letters threatening her with dire consequences.

“She had even forwarded a copy of the letters to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Supreme Court to investigate the post-Godhra riot cases,” said a source.

Sources in the SIT said the letters were then forwarded to the state home department for further action.

However, no action was taken by the state government for a year but after reports about the threatening letters were published in the media, the state government handed over a review of her security and threat perception to a committee comprising two IPS officers and senior state home department officials.

“The state Intelligence Bureau was asked to review the threat perception to Yagnik. The state IB had submitted its report to the state home department about a month-and-a-half back,” said a senior police official.

Sources in the home department said that due to the recent transfer of some senior police officials, the process had got delayed.

On Wednesday, Yagnik had said despite repeated representations for upgrading of her security, her appeals had fallen on deaf ears.

Sources in the state intelligence bureau said on Thursday that they had received orders from the state government to upgrade Yagnik’s security cover to Z category. “We immediately upgraded Jyotsana Yagnik’s security cover to Z category,” said a senior official of the state intelligence bureau.