~By Kunal Rao

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (May 24) asked the Centre and Delhi Government to inform the court as to what happened about the GPS tracking systems that were to be installed on public vehicles for public safety. The system is also supposed to incorporate panic buttons.

The vehicles included in the list are two-wheelers, E-rickshaws, three-wheelers and any transport vehicle for which no permit is required.

Acting upon the plea, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar directed Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Delhi Government to file their status reports.

The plea which has been filed by an NGO (Rahaat, a safe community foundation) raises concern over the delay in the implementation of the Centre’s notification to install security devices in the vehicles following the recommendations of Justice J S Verma committee which was formed after the horrific Nirbhaya gang-rape case and on safety of women.

The petitioner has said that the original deadline for the installation of the systems was January 1, 2018, as notified by the transport ministry. This was as per Rule 125H (Provision of Vehicle Location Tracking Devices and Emergency Button), and it was to be implemented to the maximum extent possible and within the shortest timeframe in all public vehicles.

However, after being in operation for just 18 days, MoRTH issued a fresh notification, exempting all public service vehicles from the Rule 125H up to April 1, 2019.

“It may also be noted that vehicle tracking systems and panic buttons in public service vehicles are a major step forward in enhancing safety of women, children, or for that matter any person traveling in said vehicles. Further, it has other benefit in so far as monitoring of vehicles which has positive ramifications for terror prevention, anti-smuggling operations, hawala and money laundering operations, in as much as movements of suspect vehicles can be tracked with pinpoint accuracy,” the plea said.

The court issued notices to the respondents and sought their replies on why the date of implementation was extended. The matter has been posted for July 30.

It is to be noted, however, that the Nirbhaya gang-rape case on which this Rule 125H was premised actually happened on a private chartered bus and that too after duty hours.

—India Legal Bureau