A Division Bench comprising Justices S.M. Subramaniam and M. Jothiraman stressed that police personnel, whose salaries are funded by taxpayers, should primarily be utilised for public duties
The Madras High Court has instructed the Tamil Nadu government and the Director General of Police (DGP) to restrict the deployment of police security for private individuals unless there are compelling reasons. It has also mandated periodic reviews of threat perceptions to withdraw as many police personnel as possible from such assignments.
A Division Bench comprising Justices S.M. Subramaniam and M. Jothiraman stressed that police personnel, whose salaries are funded by taxpayers, should primarily be utilised for public duties rather than being assigned to private individuals. The court noted that in many cases, these security arrangements are misused, with uniformed officers being deployed for personal errands rather than legitimate security concerns.
The Bench highlighted that such deployments often stem from external pressures or court orders and urged the State police department and public prosecutors to strongly oppose requests for police protection in undeserving cases.
“Even for a police constable, a decent salary and other facilities are provided at the cost of the taxpayers’ money. Therefore, their services ought to be utilised only for public purposes, such as enhancing public safety and security and not to provide security to private persons,” the Division Bench stated in its order.
The ruling reinforces the need for efficient utilisation of police resources, ensuring that officers are available for public safety rather than being diverted to private security arrangements. The court’s directive is expected to bring more accountability and transparency in the allocation of police personnel across the state.
