Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Justice on wheels

Sangeeth Kurian

The mobile court deals with many offences

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is estimated that the mobile court on an average collects Rs.20,000 as fine from motorists in the city every day.

Driving without licence, use of plastic number plates, and violation of permit by parallel transport services are some of the common cases that come up before the court, which functions on all working days during the "morning session" at a designated location in the city, say the court staff.

A large number of motorists use plastic number plates instead of metallic ones prescribed as per the Motor Vehicle rules. However, they plead ignorance when caught. The cases are disposed of in five minutes, they say.

Established as per the Mobile Court rules instituted by the State Government in 1978, the jurisdiction of the court is in a radius of two miles from where the sitting takes place.

For instance, if the mobile court is stationed at Palayam, the court will have legal authority over all offences which take place under the Motor Vehicles Act within a radius of two miles. Around 50 cases are registered every day.

Some of the offences that come under the purview of the mobile court include penalty for travelling without pass or ticket in buses, refusal by autorickshaw drivers to ply passengers on request (the offence is punishable with a fine of Rs.50), speeding, rash and negligent driving, violation of pollution standards.

The act of transporting any object that projects more than five feet in front or behind the vehicle on which it is carried is also a punishable offence.

The mobile court also deals with all offences that come under the prevention of cruelty to animals on public roads such as cramming cattle and poultry inside tempo-travellers and conducting street-shows using animals.

The court, presided over by a First Class Magistrate, includes a bench clerk and a peon as its staff, in addition to a gunman, who provides security to the court, and six police personnel, headed by a Sub-Inspector of Police.

The location of the court is decided by the Magistrate in consultation with the police personnel on a daily basis. The jurisdiction of the court extends up to Kazhakuttam.

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