The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Court questions State on violating orders on speed governors High Court Round-up

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Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Court questions State on violating orders on speed governors High Court Round-up

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Monday orally expressed displeasure over the manner in which the State had complied with its earlier orders relating to installation of speed governors in transport vehicles.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil sought to know from Principal Government Advocate Sreenivasa Gowda, how the State had issued a notification postponing the installation of speed governors for old vehicles.

The Bench made these observations when it was dealing with three petitions relating to the installation of speed governors.

The Federation of Southern State Goods Vehicle Owners’ Association submitted that while speed governors cost Rs. 2,000 or less in New Delhi, they cost several times more in Karnataka. Moreover, installation of speed governors is not mandatory in other States.

The court was also told that while the State had made it mandatory for all new vehicles registered from January 1, 2008, to be fitted with speed governors, the time for old vehicles to fit them had been extended to April 1, 2008.

The Chief Justice, speaking on behalf of the Bench, said speed governors are mandatory in other States like Kerala. He said that there were already too many vehicles on the roads and that they must be fitted with speed governors.

He then sought to know from the State why it had not implemented the earlier High Court order on making it mandatory for all vehicles to install speed governors. He sought to know on what grounds the State had extended the time limit and said it is an affront to the court. He orally told the petitioners as well as the Government several times that the High Court would stay the recent notification of the Transport Department extending the time for old vehicles to fit speed governors. He asked the State to place before the court all files relating to the issue of speed governors. “The court wants to know how its earlier orders were complied with and interpreted. We would also like to know the cost of the speed governors in other states and in Karnataka and on whether they are available in the market and at what price”.

The Chief Justice said he wanted to know how the Law Department had interpreted the orders of the High Court and whether the Advocate-General had given any opinion on the issue. The Bench permitted the petitioner in the public interest litigation petition to amend the petition to file an application for staying the recent notification, while it dismissed as withdrawn three petitions relating to the case. The Bench posted the case to Thursday.

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