Bill to amend SPG Act introduced in LS; ex-PM's family won't get security if don't reside along

Family members of a former prime minister who don't reside with him at his official residence will not be guarded by SPG commandos anymore and those who reside with him at his allotted accommodation will get security cover of the elite force only for five years.

As per the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, proximate security will be given by the force only to the prime minister and members of his immediate family if they live with him at his official residence.

This comes days after the government withdrew the SPG security cover provided to members of the Gandhi family -- Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul and Priyanka.

While introducing the SPG (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said in the existing act there is no cut off period for providing SPG protection to former prime ministers or members of their immediate families.

Thus, the number of individuals to be provided SPG cover can potentially become quite large.

In such a scenario, there can be severe constraint on resources, training and related infrastructure of the SPG. This can also impact the effectiveness of the elite force in providing adequate cover to the principle protectee -- the prime minister in office, the bill says.

The proposed legislation says that therefore, it is considered essential to amend the act to focus on the core mandate, as the security of the prime minister, as head of the government, is of paramount importance for the government, governance and national security.

"It assumes special significance in the given geo-political context of the country, its hostile neighbourhood and the multi-layered dimensions of threat the country is exposed to. In recognition of this critical security imperative for the prime minister in office, a special enactment was made to constitute the Special Protection Group with the sole objective of providing proximate security to the prime minister and the members of his immediate family," the bill said.

The proposed bill says that the SPG shall provide proximate security to the prime minister and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official residence and to any former prime minister and members of his immediate family as are residing with him at the residence allotted to him, for a period of five years from the date he ceases to hold the office of prime minister.

The bill makes it clear that when the proximate security is withdrawn from a former prime minister, such proximate security shall also stand withdrawn from members of his or her immediate family.

The Special Protection Group Act, 1988 was enacted to provide for the constitution and regulation of the SPG as an armed force of the Union for providing proximate security to the prime minister and his immediate family members.

The Act was amended in 1991, 1994, 1999 and 2003 to extend SPG cover to former prime ministers and their immediate family members also, for different periods of time from the day the prime minister demitted office.

It was last amended in 2003 to extend the SPG cover to former prime ministers and their immediate family members for one year from the demitting of office of prime minister and thereafter based on the level of threat periodically assessed by security agencies.

The decision to withdraw the SPG cover given to the family of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated by LTTE terrorists on May 21, 1991, was taken after a detailed security assessment early this month.

The Gandhis are now without SPG protection after 28 years. They were included in the VVIP security list following an amendment of the SPG Act in September 1991.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now the only person to be protected by the about-4,000-personnel-strong SPG.

Under the rules, SPG protectees are provided with guards, hi-tech vehicles, jammers and an ambulance in their cavalcade.

The Gandhis are now guarded by the 'Z-plus' security of the Central Reserve Police Force.

Under the 'Z-plus' security, they are being protected by CRPF commandos in close proximity, besides guards at their homes and wherever they travel in the country.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had on Thursday dubbed the removal of SPG cover from the Gandhi family as part of politics that keeps happening.