Redeploy security to protect common people: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has questioned the need for the government to provide security to such a large number of people at state expense, pointing out that judges, among many others, can do without special protection.

“We can understand security for constitutional heads such as President, PM, Speaker, CJI and their state counterparts. But what is the requirement of security to the judiciary,” Justice GS Singhvi asked Delhi Police counsel ASG Siddharth Luthra on Thursday. “What is the purpose of having security for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts?” A bench, comprising Justices Singhvi and HL Gokhale, said the extra resources and personnel being deployed by states to protect such persons could be better used for the security of the common man. The remarks were made in response to a petition drawing the court’s attention to the issue of VIP security. “Many of them in Delhi are former office-holders and their relatives,” Justice Gokhale observed.

The court directed all states to submit within two days security details for VIPs, taking judicial cognizance of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit’s remarks that women felt unsafe on city’s streets. Singhvi also sought details of the money and personnel dedicated to protecting all those facing criminal cases against them anywhere in the country.

The Delhi government in an affidavit to the SC said 8,049 police personnel are deputed in all for security of around 460 VIPs and for the security of Rashtrapati Bhawan, at a total cost of Rs 341 crore to the exchequer annually.

Statistics on security personnel deployment in the country in 2012, prepared by the Bureau of Police Research and Development and submitted to home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde recently, point to disproportionate use of resources for VIPs. As per the report, while a VIP in India was given three officers for protection, only one security officer was assigned to guard 761 commoners. The security force posted for VIP detailing was 50% more than the sanctioned strength.

Delhi and Punjab led the list for personnel deployed per VIP. In the national capital, the number shot up from 5,001 in 2011 to 5,183 in 2012, although the number of VIPs under protection dropped from 432 to 427.