“14. Before parting, however, we find it obligatory on our part to record our dissatisfaction and anguish on the system of providing gunners/security personnels to individuals in the manner it has been implemented while the entire State is reeling under a very difficult law and order situation, not of ordinary kind but of high risk due to large scale terrorist and other activists movement and operations. The State is under a constitutional obligation to provide adequate security to each and every individual resident irrespective of his caste, creed, religion, status, position etc. Life of the most ordinary person is equally important as that of a person holding a high position in the State. We cannot treat ordinary people like ginny pigs whose death only results in number but it is a loss to the nation. Every individual, howsoever ordinary man he is, is an asset to the State. It is the most pious and solemn obligation of the State to take all possible steps to protect him. The State must inspire and instil full confidence in every individual that his life and liberty is secured from all kinds of scrupulous activities and he can enjoy his constitutional right enshrined under Article 21 without any extra risk, fear etc. The population of the State of U.P. when is already exceeding 20 crores, the number of people employed in security forces namely Police Force is extremely inadequate. As we are informed the entire police force in the State of U.P. has less than 2 lacs of people. Meaning thereby on every 1000 and more persons only one police personnel is available to take care of their security. In such circumstances, if the State withdraw a high number of security personnels for the purpose of providing individual security cover that would be like putting the common and ordinary man at enhanced risk to his life and liberty at the cost of individual security. This can neither be appreciated nor is consistent with the constitutional scheme which treats every individual equal so far as the question of his life and liberty is concerned. Even a little Indian, as said by Hon'ble Krishna Iyer, J. is entitled to be treated at par with the mightiest one. The individual security may be necessary in a very few exceptional cases but it cannot be at the cost of collective security of the common man.
