Karnataka High Court reduces time period to auction unclaimed vehicles

Bengaluru High Court reduces auction period for abandoned vehicles seized by police on footpaths, depending on age.

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday, February 8, reduced the period for auctioning of unclaimed vehicles which are seized by the police after being abandoned on footpaths.

Instead of waiting for six months to auction such vehicles after notifying them in the official gazette as practised at present, the Court has set a maximum period of up to three months for auctioning depending upon the age of the abandoned and unclaimed vehicles.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar and Justice T.G. Shivashankare Gowda passed the interim order after the government pointed out that the metropolitan magistrate courts are allowing the auction of such vehicles only on expiry of six months after notifying them in the gazette.

The Bench was hearing a PIL petition that had raised issue of senior citizens being affected due to lack of railings to footpaths at many places.

Meanwhile, the Bench said that abandoned vehicles can be auctioned after 30 days if the age of the vehicle is beyond 15 years after following due process of law and taking consent of the jurisdictional magistrate.

However, if the age of the vehicle is between one year and five years, then such vehicles can be auctioned three month after notifying them in the gazette. If the age of vehicle is between five and 15 years, then auction can be held two months after notifying in gazette.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru City police have also told the Court that the government has identified a two-acre land in Mallasandra village of Bengaluru North for storage of abandoned or unclaimed vehicles till they are either auctioned or scrapped as per the law. The police informed the procedure that they follow for seizing vehicles parked on footpath for long period.