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SC points to Ambani, questions cover for rich -Dhananjay Mahapatra
-The Times of India


The Supreme Court on Wednesday frowned upon official security cover being provided to the rich, saying if the government and police had been alive to providing adequate security to citizens, then 5/6-year-olds would not have been raped in the country.

Even though the government's decision to provide paid security cover through CISF personnel to one of the world's richest businessmen, Mukesh Ambani, did not figure specifically during the discussions, the indirect reference to it from a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and Kurian Joseph was loud and clear.

"We read from newspaper reports about the home ministry agreeing to provide CISF security to an individual. Why do such persons, who can afford to pay for security, not hire private security guards," the bench asked and said cities would have been a lot safer had the governments taken adequate steps to provide security to common citizens.

"The governments have provided security to a lot of private individuals who face criminal cases, including murder and rape charges. We are making it clear that the home ministry has to take a call on this soon. The state is not obliged to provide security to persons facing criminal charges except for documentary proof of specific threat to his life," the bench said and asked additional solicitors general Indira Jaising and Siddharth Luthra to address the court on this issue on July 9.

The court asked all states to provide to the Union home ministry lists of two sets of persons - the affluent ones who pay to get security from the government and the second, persons facing criminal charges yet protected by state police. It asked the Union government to collate the data and place it before the bench for consideration on July 9.

What bothered the court more was spiraling crime, including sexual assaults on minors, at a time when the government was engaging a huge number of security personnel to protect the rich, criminals and other politicians, who flaunt it as a status symbol or use it to coerce other commuters to give way on public roads.

"Please provide security to all so that five- or six-year-olds do not get sexually assaulted. We are concerned by the situation where so much of security is given to many who do not deserve it while there is no security for the common man," the bench said.

Amicus curiae Harish Salve was critical of rifle-wielding policemen coming to the city accompanying so-called VVIPs. He said state police forces were being misused in the name of security cover and cited instances where such cover was extended at the cost of the exchequer to even relatives of political bigwigs staying in the national capital.

The bench said if the rich could pay for government security and others too could get it being relatives of "those who matter in politics", then the government should raise a separate force specifically for this purpose without diverting regular policemen and compromising the security of commoners.

The court also asked the government to enforce the rule which allowed constitutional dignitaries to use red beacons with siren only when they were on official duty. "Enforce this rule and see the drastic reduction in the number of cars with red beacon lights and siren on road," the bench said.

When Salve said Punjab and Haryana had not filed affidavits pursuant to a direction from the court on a related issue, the court ordered their home secretaries to be present on the next date of hearing to explain the delay.