The court had ordered that use of words like ‘court, ‘army’, ‘police’, ‘press’, ‘journalists’ or any designation like ‘chairman’, ‘vice-chairman’ on private vehicles and government vehicles is prohibited forthwith.

AN ORDER passed last month by the Punjab and Haryana High Court banning the display of designation or description of office and use of unauthorised emblems on government or private vehicles in Chandigarh has been extended by the Haryana government to all its officers and departments.

An order passed by the government on Monday, addressed to all the administrative secretaries, heads of departments, commissioners of Ambala, Gurugram, Faridabad, Hisar, Karnal and Rohtak divisions, the managing directors and chief administrators of boards and corporations, registrar of the High Court as well as deputy commissioners and subdivisional officers in Haryana, asked them to comply strictly with the order.

The order titled ‘no VIP symbols on vehicles’ has been written by under secretary protocol for the chief secretary of the government. The division bench of Justices Rajiv Sharma and Amol Rattan Singh during the hearing of a suo motu PIL last month had ordered that use of words like ‘court, ‘army’, ‘police’, ‘press’, ‘journalists’ or any designation like ‘chairman’, ‘vice-chairman’ on private vehicles and government vehicles is prohibited forthwith. The Chandigarh Administration was directed to begin implementation of the directions within 72 hours.

The court was of the view that the use of such terms is an attempt to “browbeat” others and said display of designations on vehicles is not permitted under law.