No more red beacons for ministers, babus in Delhi

Ministers and officials of the Delhi government will not use red beacons - the symbol of power that gives them the right of way on roads - on their vehicles, the Delhi cabinet decided at its first meeting Saturday .

In a move against the "VIP culture" opposed by newly sworn-in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the cabinet decided that red beacons on vehicles will only be allowed for essential services, said official sources.

The cabinet also decided that security to lawmakers will be allotted only based on "threat perception".

The Supreme Court earlier this month had slammed the rampant misuse of red beacon lights on cars, saying the practice had "perhaps no parallel in the world democracies".

The court has also criticized the "abysmal failure" of states and concerned authorities to "check misuse of the vehicles with red lights on their top.