Upset by the callous approach of State Governments towards implementing speed governors in public transport vehicles, the Supreme Court took an extreme step on Monday by summoning Transport Secretaries of States lacking compliance.
“You (states) cannot be allowed to be happy taking dates after dates... This is not a panchayat, proceedings in the Supreme Court cannot be taken lightly,” said a bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud. The Court was hearing a PIl filed by NGO Suraksha Foundation seeking time-bound installation of speed governors on public transport vehicles.
The bench refused to grant further opportunity to the States like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Tripura, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and sought the presence of their Transport Secretaries in Court on the next date of hearing expected to take place after four weeks. “Why should we grant you (states) more timeIJ We will call your Chief Secretaries then only you will understand,” the bench said in despair. Only states which put in their appearance for the first time in the matter were given time to file their counter affidavits.
The Court was forced to take this step after realizing that the order asking states to file affidavit of compliance was issued almost seven months back. “Some of you have been served (notice) long back. Why have you not filed your counter affidavitsIJ Months have passed just like that,” said the bench.
The PIl had alleged that governments were shirking on their duty to install speed governors which became necessary in order to curb accidents due to over-speeding. The petition even sought striking down of the exemption granted to transport vehicles with seating capacity of eight passengers and all four-wheeled large goods vehicles above 1,000 kgs and below 3,500 kgs. The exemption was granted in a notification of April 15 under Rule 118 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.
The PIl even also sought separate guidelines for a selection criteria and tender process for the approval and appointment of authorised manufacturers of speed governors by respective State Governments.