No extension of permits, says HC
A division bench comprising Justices A.K. Sikri and Suresh Kait of the Delhi high court on Thursday said that the permits of the “killer” Blueline buses will not be renewed after their expiry.
The court asked the NCT government to implement the cluster bus scheme in a time-bound manner so that the public does not face any problems in commuting.
Giving partial relief, the court allowed 328 Blueline buses to ply on the roads till the expiry of their permits.
The court came to the conclusion of not renewing licenses of Blueline buses after observing that commuters have not faced major difficulty despite after the phaseout of 1,700 Blueline buses.
The court accepted the submission of the Delhi government that various modes of transport systems including Metro, low-floor buses and Metro feeder service were available for commuters and they had not faced any difficulty in the absence of Blueline buses.
“The fundamental right to life takes precedence over all statutory rights. The right to livelihood of the Blueline bus operators, numbering a few hundred, would have to be subservient to the larger public interest of the safety to other road users,” the court observed.
It also made it clear, “It is a settled law that the right to life is a paramount right. It is above all rights as may be available to a citizen. Correspondingly, it is the paramount duty of the state to protect the life of its citizens, especially from wanton killing by reckless driving of Blueline buses on the roads of Delhi.”
During the hearing, amicus curiae and senior counsel Kailash Vasudev had suggested that the drivers should be well-trained before they get into the service.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a fatal accident in 2007 involving a Blueline bus in which eight persons had lost their lives, the HC had directed the city government to phaseout the “killer” buses.
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‘Fast-track courts for rape cases’
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
March 3: Delhi women and child welfare minister Kiran Walia on Thursday said that the city government has sought setting up of nine fast-track courts exclusively to take up rape cases in a bid to ensure speedy justice to the victims.
In her letter to Delhi high court judge, she has urged him to set up one fast-track court in each of the nine districts in the city to speed up the trial of rape cases.
Prof. Walia said that the Delhi government has appointed 17 women protection officers to save the women from domestic violence. “These officers have been provided with cellphones so that they can immediately be contacted by victims of domestic violence,” the minister said.
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