Centre told to compile data on auto-thefts

New Delhi, Oct 14: The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to establish a Central Information Room (CIR) for compiling data on stolen v...

New Delhi, Oct 14: The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to establish a Central Information Room (CIR) for compiling data on stolen vehicles and suggested necessary amendment to certain sections and clauses of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Asking the Government to make the CIR operational early, a division bench comprising Chief Justice S N Variava and Justice S K Mahajan said it should have details of stolen vehicles from all over the country and the same should be made available to the public on telephone.

Disposing of a petition by a victim seeking amendment in the present procedure to deal with auto-theft, the court in a recent order said details about stolen vehicles should be publicised in national dailies or newspapers of the region where the complaint about the theft was lodged.

To help trace the vehicle owners, the court said police must send details of the recovery to the insurance companies and directed the police to mention the company’s name in the FIR.

Accepting almost all the suggestions forwarded by Rajiv Awasthi, counsel for the petitioner, Lekh Raj, whose car was lifted some years ago from Delhi, the court said auction of the vehicles should be made transparent.

The court said on recovery of the vehicles, information should immediately be sent to the CIR so that the owner could be traced and intimated.

It also directed authorities in the capital to instal computers at entry and exit points of all major parking lots to ensure availability of details about parked vehicles.

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Delhi, which has more than 30 lakh vehicles, has witnessed a sharp rise in auto thefts in the last few years.

In view of this, the court directed the city police to provide details of all stolen vehicles to the CIR and the transport authority.

“The transport authority in Delhi must provide on-line computer link to CIR so that information about recovered and stolen vehicles is available all the time,” the court said.