Are Former Chief Ministers exempted from Security Check at Airports?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 17, 2019
Following the frisking of Chandrababu Naidu recently at the Vijayawada airport, there
were protests by TDP MLAs and cadre about the incident. Some even went to the extent of saying that he served as the CM for 14 years and hence deserves exemptions.
But do the rules allow exemption from security check for former Chief Ministers (CMs)?
Who are those VVIPs that are exempted from the pre-embarkation security check at the civilian airports in the country? What is the basis for extending such exemptions?
What is the basis for Exemptions?
The reply received from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India in response to an RTI application filed by Factly  has the answers.
According to the reply, a total of 32 categories of people are exempted from pre-embarkation security check at the civilian airports. Such exemption is granted on the basis of the following
Who all are exempted?
President
Vice President
Prime Minister
Governors of States
Former Presidents
Former Vice President
Chief Justice of India
Speaker of Lok Sabha
Union Ministers of Cabinet rank
Chief Ministers of States
Deputy Chief Ministers of States
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha
Holders of Bharat Ratna Decoration
Ambassadors of foreign countries, charge D’ Affairs and High Commissioners and their spouses
Judges of Supreme Court
Chief Election Commissioner
Comptroller & Auditor General of India
Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha & Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha
Minister of State of the Union Council of Ministers
Attorney General of India
Cabinet Secretary
Lt Governors of Union Territories
Chiefs of staffs holding the rank of full General or equivalent rank
Chief Justices of the High Courts
Chief Ministers of Union Territories
Deputy Chief Ministers of Union Territories
Visiting Foreign dignitaries of the same status at SI. Nos. 1 to 4,7,8,9 above
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
SPG Protectees
Spouse of the President of India is exempted from pre-embarkation security checks at all civil airports even when he/she is not accompanying the President
Former Prime Ministers of India
Note: The Accompanying spouse of the above said VVIPs/VIPs is also exempted from pre-embarkation security checks at all civil airports in the country
It is clear that the former CMs are not in the list of exempted category of individuals. Hence frisking of Naidu was as per rules.
What is the SPG?
The Special Protection Group (SPG) is formed in 1988 by an act of the Parliament for “providing proximate security to the Prime Minister of India and former Prime Minister of India and members of their immediate families.” Family members of a serving Prime Minister (PM) may decline security. Former PMs and their immediate family members may also, if they choose, decline SPG security.
The issue of Robert VadraThis list had undergone changes in 2015 after the furore over the inclusion of Robert Vadra’s name in the exempted list. This new list of VVIPs/VIPs who are exempted from pre-embarkation security checks at all civil airports in the country does not include the name of  Robert Vadra. The only other change compared to the old list is an additional note at the bottom of this list that says, ‘The Accompanying spouse of the above said VVIPs/VIPs is also exempted from pre-embarkation security checks at all civil airports in the country’.
This  means that if Mr. Robert Vadra is accompanying Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi and if she is a SPG protectee, then Mr. Vadra would still be exempted from pre-embarkation check.