The Supreme Court Thursday said the police personnel providing security cover to VIPs be deployed for better purposes like making the roads safe for women.
A bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi questioned why so many people are given police security and said that even judges of various courts would not have a problem if security personnel given to them are withdrawn and deployed on streets. The bench, however, refrained from passing any order as many states failed to file their response on the number of personnel deployed in their states for VIP security and the cost borne by them. The apex court granted time to the states till Monday to file the details and said their home secretaries will have to personally appear before it if they fail to file their response.
It pointed out that the protection for women needs to be drastically increased in the capital and referred to the recent statement of Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit who said that women in the city still feel unsafe. The bench was hearing a petition filed by a UP resident on misuse of red beacon. On Jan 17, the bench had strongly disapproved of police protection given to “all and sundry”.