Written by: Express News Service
2 min readNew DelhiJul 9, 2013 01:42 AM IST
First published on: Jul 9, 2013 at 01:42 AM IST
The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Delhi government if any policy or guideline for putting advertisements and posters on autorickshaws exist.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Gaurav Banerjee,who appeared for Delhi government,to seek instructions from the Transport department and inform it by the next date of hearing. The court was hearing a plea by a group of auto drivers against the government’s June 6 order prohibiting them from putting advertisements and posters on their autos.
The autorickshaw drivers,in their plea,had said the government’s action was ‘discriminatory’ against poor auto drivers and also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party whose posters were put up by thousands of auto drivers.
The Delhi government has initiated a move to prosecute autorickshaw owners or drivers under Rule 71(2) of Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules for displaying advertisements on their vehicles. The plea had argued that “the said rule is ultra vires the enabling Act which empowers the respondent (government) to frame rules to regulate (not even ‘restrict’) but not to prohibit the advertisements on autorickshaws.”
Advocate Prashant Bhushan,who appeared on behalf of the auto drivers,told the court that radio taxis in Delhi had been carrying advertisements without any action being taken against them.
Countering the petitioners’ arguments,the ASG said there was a policy for taxi drivers too and if they violated it,the government could cancel their permits.
The court has now asked the government to give its clarifications by July 15.
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