The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, before whom a plea in this regard came up, noted that a majority of accidents involved two-wheelers. Though it is against the rules, such mirrors are removed for the sake of style, it added.

“It is needless to say that the State Transport Commissioner is obligated to comply with such rules. It may be advisable to issue appropriate instruction to dealers of two-wheelers so as to ensure that the vehicles sold are fixed with rear and side-view mirrors.

“Such dealers may also be instructed to caution customers that the warranty may not remain in force in case customers remove the mirror after purchasing the vehicles and if necessary, the vehicle manufacturers and dealer incorporate such condition in terms of warranty,” the bench stressed.

The public interest litigation moved in this regard by advocate B Ramkumar Adityan pointed out that rear-view mirrors on both sides of the handle of a two-wheeler were an essential part of these vehicles as they help the riders get a better view of the traffic behind them. The petitioner sought for a direction to impose a fine of Rs 500 on those who ride two-wheelers without rear-view mirrors, and Rs 1,500 on repeat offenders.