Vehicles Driven On Wrong-Side Can't Be Spared Merely Because Number Plate Is Of HC: Gujarat High Court Orally Remarks

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday (July 23) took serious note of "wrong side driving" incidents and orally remarked that Police must show no reluctance in taking action against vehicles including cars which bear high court's sticker/ number plate.

A division bench of Justice AS Supehia and Justice RT Vachchani made the observation orally while hearing a plea seeking contempt for non-compliance of orders in a 2017 PIL on traffic issues.

The bench was irked at the news of a High Court car being driven on the wrong side.

As State counsel said that the police official incharge under whose jurisdiction the High Court premises falls had indicated "reluctance" to take action, the bench orally said,

"...it is not that the cars of high court or any higher government officers are to be spared...We don't want that culture. No reluctance at all, no laxity. No discrimination, no special treatment. Law is to be applied. High Court not above the law".

Agreeing with bench's remarks, the State counsel further submitted that just behind the High Court car there was a police constable driving (on the wrong side).

"We are trying our level best to see that nuisance stops, and our officers are violating it. They cannot be spared because number plate or name plate bears the name of High Court of Gujarat," the court then remarked.

Justice Supehia continued, "Not even my driver. I would be first person to report to police that take action against him. It sends a very bad signal. Our efforts...all of our efforts...gets diluted. Only because of one incident...is a blot on the proceedings."

The matter is next listed on July 30, when the State counsel will report on the awareness drive at schools being conducted by Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

"We have been declared as cleanest city. We want that it should be safest city to drive. This should be our endeavour. We are doing this for next generation so that they may learn civic sense and keep the city safe and respectable," the court further orally said. 

For context the 2017 PIL sought directions to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to repair and restore public roads, making roads roadworthy for all vehicles in the city among other issues, pursuant to which the court had passed an order with directions in 2018. The court had continued to pass various orders from time to time in the matter which also covered lack of parking spaces, parking of vehicles on public roads, as well as stray cattle on public road. In the present contempt petition filed in 2019, the petitioner had claimed the directions of the high court issued in the 2017 PIL had not been complied with.

Case Title: Mustak Hussain Mehndi Hussain Kadri vs Jagadip Narayan Singh, IAS & Anr. AND Batch

R/MCA/979/2019 IN R/WPPIL/170/2017