Union of India made party to PIL on helmet rule

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 19

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today made the Union of India a party in the ongoing public interest litigation on making helmets mandatory. The developments took place during the hearing of a suo motu or “court on its own motion” case on traffic regulation and road safety.

Taking suo motu cognizance of women riding away from law by not wearing safety helmets, the high court had earlier put the states of Punjab and Haryana, along with the Union Territory of Chandigarh, on notice through the home and transport secretaries.

The notice came after a news report on an accident involving a woman rider in Chandigarh was brought to the high court’s notice by law researcher Anil Saini. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had made helmets compulsory, while issuing a slew of directions on traffic regulation and road safety in the case of Namit Kumar versus Union Territory of Chandigarh decided in July 1998. The direction had, however, led to vociferous protest by Sikh women, who had even marched up to the high court soon after the pronouncement of the judgment. 

Saini, in his note addressed to the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court for treating the news report appearing on November 4 last as public interest litigation, asserted that the Bench had restricted the exemption only to Sikhs wearing turban while riding in its order.