New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today directed all state governments to provide details of security given to political leaders and the expenditure it involves.
According to the Supreme Court directive, the state governments have to file affidavits, detailing how many politicians are given security, their names along with the cost and the total number of policemen deployed in providing the security. The states have three weeks to file the affidavits.
The Supreme Court said today, "Security can be given to PM, President, Vice President, Speaker, Chief Justice of India and similar counterparts in the states. But what is seen is red beacon is provided to all and sundry. In a recent incident, we heard five people died in Hyderabad because traffic was stopped for 45 minutes for someone."
"Why should the government not take a decision to scrap and make it specific who can use red lights? We find persons sitting in 2000 kms away but in their villages two dozen security people are there," the Supreme Court said today.
The Supreme Court also criticised Delhi Police's Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mangesh Kashyap, for filing an affidavit that stated security to people holding higher posts is necessary to enable them to take "bold and impartial decisions."
"How our judgement beckoned bold due to security. That's the level of understanding of the IPS officer," the Supreme Court said.
The Central government has said that security cover should be given to people based on the 'threat perception.'