As many as ten state governments have not filed their status reports sought by the Supreme Court on implementation of road safety laws and rules. The apex court today responded by summoning the transport secretaries of all these state.
Hearing a public interest litigation on road safety, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the states for not taking the highest court ‘seriously’.
“Are we running a panchayat, where states are not serious,” the Supreme Court asked.
The apex court pulled up ten states for not filing the status report for implementation of Motor Vehicles Act for ensuring compliance of speed limits on roads.
SUPREME COURT ON ROAD SAFETY: THINGS TO KNOW
A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act in order to ensure compliance of speed limits by deploying speed governors on the roads.
The apex court had sought responses from all the states but as many as ten states did not file the status report.
These non-complying states are, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Tripura, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Angry at the approach of these states, the Supreme Court said, “Are we running a panchayat, where states are not serious? Why are you ridiculing the Supreme Court?”
The apex court summoned the transport secretaries of all the erring states directing them to appear in person in the next hearing after four weeks.
“Let the secretaries appear before the court, you will come to know what is Supreme Court,” the apex court tersely observed.
Originally Published in :http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/road-safety-supreme-court-panchayat/1/858290.html