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HC censures police for disruptions due to VIP motorcades

The Delhi High Court today censured the Delhi Police and passed strictures against it for harassment and inconvenience caused to the general public due to erratic Very Important Person motorcade movement in the capital.

The high court issued show cause notices to the central government and the commissioner of police on a public interest petition which highlighted how the police were 'unnecessarily' challenging the citizens for coming in the way of VIP motorcades and directed them to cite reasons for the harassment of citizens by September 13.

A visibly furious division bench comprising Chief Justice S N Variava and Justice S K Mahajan observed, ''what is the problem if the prime minister travels like a common man. If there is a security threat to VIPs, then take them by helicopters. But don't disturb the common citizens.''

When counsel for Delhi Police V K Shali tried to defend the actions of the personnel in disturbing the traffic during the VIP movement, Justice Mahajan said, ''don't try to tell us what is happening. Don't try to justify the actions.''

Despite the clarification of Shali that he was not justifying but only explaining the problems faced by the police due to the threat perception to the VIPs, the judge remained unconvinced and said, ''you are trying to justify the actions of police, when they are at fault.''

The chief justice asked Shali to explain where else in the world the whole traffic is brought to a standstill if the prime minister is moving. ''Where in the world it happens that VIPs are given such treatment,'' he queried.

UNI

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