Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 06 2009:
Supreme Court has directed the Central and State government to implement high-security registration plates (HSRPs) within a set of three-month deadline yesterday removing all ambiguity about the mandatory nature of its earlier order on the issue.
Mention may be made that two year back, Manipur government planned to implement the same however it was not implemented successful, apparently not taking initiative by the authority of the government.
So, to comply with the court order, fresh step need to be taken.
The Supreme Court, mention may be made there on May 8, 2008, given government six months to implement the HSRPs after making modifications to the scheme drafted by the Centre, However, most of the states, citing doubts about whether the SC order was mandatory or not, have not implemented it.
ABench vomprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and AK Ganguly dispelled the doubts outlined by advocate Wasim Qadri, who appeared for the Centre and the Delhi government, it said the states could not sidestep an important pulbic interest measure that was directed to be implemented by apex court.
The development means that the state government will soon be getting after the motor vehicle owners to switch to be HSRPs in order to carry out the order.
The court had, in its earlier judgment, dismissed challenges to the scheme holding it to be in public
interest.
The HSRP can track down stolen vehicles through satellite monitoring since it is fitted with a security chip, thus preventing the misuse of such vehicles in crimes.
"Use of stolen vehicles in crimes, especially terrorism related offences, are increasingly steadily and this can be controlled to a large extent by implementation of the HSRP," the court had said earlier.
When most of the states did not implement the court's year-old order, petitioner Maninderjit Singh Bitta moved an application seeking a directive to the governments to take urgent steps.
Bitta said that it was a mater of concern that except for few states none had implemented the high-security registration plates.
Manipur government as early as two years back consider for implementation of the scheme at the high level and even the process started by calling tender.
But the same was not turn into action as Manipur government find a farm which would cost a high rate in the implementation of the same.
But source said that state government is trying to take up the scheme newly.