HC orders notice to police on plea to exempt doctors from prohibition on vehicle stickers
The Madras High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Greater Chennai Trac Police (GCTP) to a writ petition seeking an exemption for doctors from the prohibition on displaying stickers on vehicles indicating the profession or workplace of the owners.
Justice R. Kalaimathi ordered notice, returnable by two weeks, on the writ petition led by K. Srinivasan, general secretary of the Doctors’ Welfare Association of Tamil Nadu. The petitioner said that it was essential for doctors to display such stickers to attend to emergencies.
He brought to the notice of the court that the GCTP had issued a press release on April 27, asking all motorists to remove, by May 1, stickers such as ‘Press, Secretariat, TNEB, GCC, Defence
and Police’ from their vehicles since they were prone to misuse.
The press release also insisted on removing logos and emblems of political parties, doctors, advocates and so on. The GCTP warned of action under the Motor Vehicles Act from May 2 if motorists continued to display such stickers on their vehicles, the petitioner said, seeking an exemption for doctors.
Another case
Meanwhile, a public interest litigation (PIL) petition was led in the High Court seeking the implementation of the prohibition on such stickers not only within the jurisdiction of the GCTP but also in other cities and districts across the State, and also with respect to government vehicles.
S. Devadoss Gandhi Wilson, a driving school owner from Chennai, had led the PIL petition contending that Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses should also not be wrapped with commercial advertisements since they distract other motorists, leading to accidents.
He insisted that the police crack down on those who had pasted unauthorised, dark sunlms on the windows of their cars, in violation of Supreme Court orders, and those who had pasted all kinds of unauthorised stickers on the windshields, rear glass and number plates of their vehicles.
A Division Bench of Justices A.D. Jagadish Chandira and R. Kalaimathi ordered notice on this PIL petition, too.