Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after being cleared by both the Houses of Parliament received President’s assent on 09-12-2019.
With this Act, now SPG would be provided only to Prime Minister and his immediate family members and to the former PM along with his family members for a period of 5 years from the date he ceases to hold the office of Prime Minister.
Following is the amendment that would take place in the Special Protection Group Act, 1988:
Amendment of Section 4
2. In section 4 of the Special Protection Group Act, 1988,—
(i) for sub-section (1), the following sub-section shall be substituted, namely:—
“(1) There shall be an armed force of the Union called the Special Protection Group for providing proximate security to,—
(a) the Prime Minister and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official residence; and
(b) any former Prime Minister and such 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.”;
(ii) in sub-section (1A), for clause (b), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:—
“(b) where the proximate security is withdrawn from a former Prime Minister, such proximate security shall also stand withdrawn from members of immediate family of such former Prime Minister.”
Ministry of Law and Justice