Difference Between VIP and VVIP

The existence of VIP and VVIP categorisation in India can be sated back to 20th century, when the last of the British Viceroys and Governor Generals started leaving India. The massive, palatial government buildings were taken over by the educated Indian elite, who then founded the Republic of India. While commendable laud has to be given to their extensive work in shaping the nation of India, it remains an undeniable fact that these were some of the very first people to have experienced the so-called VIP and VVIP privileges which have spread as an invasive weed since then, questioning the very morality of Indian polity. Having said this, there do exist genuine concerns such as security threats, life threats to these people and that elucidates the special protection they get under the VIP and VVIP categorisations from the state.

VIP – An explainer

Moving into the crux of our topic, the difference between VIP and VVIP, we are welcomed by a rather confusing discovery that there is no express distinction of the same mentioned in any of the official records or legal documents of our nation. Furthermore, the distinction between these two terms is rather vague and most individuals tend to define them in accordance with their own interpretations. So, let us distinguish these categorizations based on the common public understanding of these terms. According to Oxford American Advanced Dictionary, VIP is categorized as the abbreviation for ‘Very Important Person’, a person who enjoys special privileges or is treated in a special way.

The community understanding of the term remains as someone who is given priority over common citizens courtesy of his security concerns. The extensive list of VIPs in India is estimated to be well in the hundreds despite meticulous work by the Government in 2017 to bring down this number. VIPs in the Indian context can include anybody, from a businessman who makes in the millions to a controversial MLA. There is no exhaustive text that sets the limits to the categorization of an individual as VIP. The VIP categorization is divided into X, Y, and Z for the security cover allotment. Z category security cover consists of personnel up to 22 in number and this includes teams from Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Central Reserve Police Force. The Y category and X category consists of 11 and 2 personnel, respectively. While Y and Z category has reservations for commandos in the security cover, the X category does not employ commandos and instead armed state police provide the security cover. Also, VIPs, especially businessmen often employ private bodyguards in their security cover.

VVIP – An explainer

VVIP on the other hand is the acronym that stands for Very Very Important Person. The abbreviation in itself is pretty much self-explanatory as it puts out the genesis of such a categorisation distinct from the VIP categorisation. VVIP terms are rarer in daily use compared to the VIP categorisation. VVIP categorisation entails more importance and privileges than the normal VIP and hence the security cover is also increased in the case of VVIPs. In the case of VVIPs, it is highly unlikely that you might end up seeing your local MLA in the list of VVIPs. VVIP categorisation is comparatively better organized and VVIP security cover is usually decided by the Home Minister, Home Secretary and a Team of Intelligence Bureau Officers. State Governments also can recommend or request for the VVIP status and security cover. Thus, VVIP categorization is highly organised and scrutinised than VIP categorisation. Also, the list is subject to frequent changes based on root tests done by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The VVIP category security cover usually consists of the Z plus or Z category, comprising of up to 36 personnel. This usually involves a team of National Security Guards, a highly skilled counter terrorism ops unit, that was constituted by The National Security Guard Act under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The current CRPF security cover list is expected to be at 56, according to a reply by Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy in the Parliament.

Thus, security cover categorisation under the VVIP is highly stringent courtesy of the high costs and number of personnel that VVIP security cover brought in a country where the police-citizen ratio is nearly 136.42 : 1 lakh Indians. A quick fact, the Prime Minister’s VVIP security cover for a day costs up to a whopping 1.62 crores. This is courtesy of the Special Protection Group security cover he receives. This was again constituted by the Special Protection Group Act of 1988, following Operation Blue Star and the tragic assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.  A recent amendment to the Act, took the Act back to serve its original purpose, to protect only the Prime Minister of India. The Union Budget allocated a fund of  592 crores in this budget thus putting the estimated cost of the SPG protection under VVIP categorisation at the 1.62 crore stated above.

VIP-VVIP Conjecture

Thus, based on the above data, to some extent we can safely demarcate a line of difference between the VIP and VVIP categorisation. While the former categorization is not exhaustive, not technical and less costly to the State, the latter categorization is usually exhaustive, supported by elite teams and imposes a huge cost on the State and the Government. Also, while VIP privileges can be bought in certain cases, VVIP categorisation is purely based on non-monetary concerns. Having said this, these are differences and conclusions we have arrived at based on factual information and statistics. Furthermore, we have understood that there is no legal binding or force behind the VIP, VVIP categorisation (Although the security covers under the categorisations are legally backed by respective Acts and Policy decisions of the Government).

Concerns and Legal Crossroads

This lack of proper demarcation leads to chaos and confusions many a times as political clouts and favours become the sole criteria for demarcation between VIP and VVIP or induction into either of these categories. Supporting this, A 2012 RTI application in the Supreme Court of India revealed the lack of proper definitions and differences or demarcation between VIP and VVIP. The replies from the Prime Minister’s Office and few other ministries including the Ministry of Home Affairs revealed the resounding truth that there existed no legal definition for the terms VIP and VVIP. The answers only pointed at the Warrant of Precedence granted both to the VIP and VVIP categories. The same VIP-VVIP difference question came to the limelight again in 2013 when a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court, consisting of Justices G S Singhvi, Ranjana Desai and Kurien Joseph went on to question the Central Government over the origin of the terms VIP and VVIP and its place in the democratic Indian Society. While the crux of this case is irrelevant to our analysis, this question brings out the fact that VIP and VVIP categorisation is still not a settled question and the demarcation often has to be based on the security cover offered, as discussed right through this article.

On an ending note, though there exists no solid demarcation or difference between VIP and VVIP, we must always be aware of the potential toxicity that this VIP- VVIP categorisation brings into the Indian polity, that stands for equality. Although it might be argued that they deserve the same courtesy of their service to the nation, one always needs to question the extent of this categorization. In turn, in order to question the extent, there needs to be a solid demarcation between both the categories. Thus, this demarcation becomes the need of the hour before we even take up the question on extent, need, so on and forth.

This article is written by Pascal Sasil R, student of B.A. LL.B (Hons.) at School of Law, Christ University.

Also Read – Differences Between a Cheque and Demand Draft

Law Corner

Leave a Comment