Acting upon a Delhi High Court order the government may soon introduce number plates for vehicles used by the President of India, Vice President, Governors and Lieutenant Governors.
Currently, these vehicles, along with those used by the protocol division of the ministry of external affairs to transport foreign dignitaries, display only the state emblem of India.
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However, according to the Motor Vehicles Act, it's illegal for any vehicle to be without a registration number.
Last month, while hearing a PIL filed by an NGO the Delhi High Court had remarked that, there must be some protocol/ rule with regard to the issue.
The petitioners had claimed the practice of displaying the state emblem instead of the registration number, made such vehicles conspicuous and the dignitaries could become easy targets for anyone with malicious intent. "The practice of replacing the registration number with the state emblem of India, instead of displaying them both, is arbitrary and symptomatic of the desire to rule rather than to serve," the petition alleged.
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This is the second significant change the government is introducing, in regard to VIP vehicles.
Last year, the government had ended the practice of using red beacons atop of VIP vehicles, something which was seen as a status symbol for decades in India.
Red beacons from all except vehicles of constitutional bodies like President of India, Vice President, Chief Justice of India and Prime Minister Of India were removed effectively from April 1, 2017.