NEW DELHI: The government is in a fix after the Delhi High Court recently asked it to cite the law under which those holding constitutional office used the state emblem of India instead of the registration number on their official vehicles. The government is likely to submit its response on Wednesday.
Sources said to end the controversy, all vehicles using the state emblem may get registration number. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, it's illegal for any vehicle to be without a registration number.
Though a few vehicles of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Vice-President, Raj Niwas and the ones kept for transporting foreign dignitaries by the protocol division of external affairs ministry are entitled to display the state emblem, the law does not say that such vehicles are not required to have a registration number which is otherwise mandatory. The Prime Minister's official vehicle has a registration number.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar had directed the Centre and the AAP government to state the legal position on the next date of hearing (December 20).
"There must be some protocol/ rule with regard to the issue raised in the writ petition. Please ascertain the exact position and inform this court," the bench had remarked while hearing a plea seeking to enforce the display of registration number on cars of constitutional authorities and dignitaries.
The petition, filed by Nyaybhoomi, an NGO, had claimed that the practice of displaying the state emblem (the four lions) instead of the registration number, made such vehicles conspicuous and the dignitaries could become easy targets for anyone with malicious intent.
"The practice of replacing the registration number with the state emblem of India, instead of displaying them both is arbitrary and symptomatic of the desire to rule rather than to serve," the petition alleged.
The plea has also sought direction to the Delhi government and Delhi Police to seize cars used by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Vice President, Raj Niwas and protocol division of the ministry of external affairs for not being registered under the Motor Vehicles Act. The plea referred to an RTI response by the ministry of external affairs saying that none of the 14 cars maintained by its protocol division were registered.
It also sought prosecution of the owners of cars being used by such dignitaries in a time-bound manner and sought a direction to the ministries of home affairs and external affairs to register the cars used by dignitaries and obtain their insurance policies.
