VIPs exempted from Security Check at Indian Airports - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 14, 2015
So, 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?
The reply received from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India in response to an RTI application filed by us has the following information.
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
Based on the above grounds, Government of India has exmepted the following categories of people from pre-embarkation checks at civilian airports.
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
(The Special Protection Group (SPG)  is one of the eight Central Armed Police Forces of India formed in 1988 by an act of the Parliament of India 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.)
Recent Changes to the List
This list has undergone changes lately after the furore over the inclusion of Mr. Robert Vadra’s name. 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  Mr. 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.
PS: The list could change in the future. This will be updated as and when it is done.