Plea to exempt doctors from prohibition on stickers on motor vehicles

Madras High Court seeks response from Chennai Traffic Police on exemption for doctors from vehicle sticker prohibition.

The Madras High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) to a writ petition seeking an exemption for doctors from the prohibition on displaying stickers on vehicles indicating the profession or workplace of the owners.

Justice R. Kalaimathi ordered notice, returnable by two weeks, on the writ petition filed by K. Srinivasan, general secretary of Doctors Welfare Association of Tamil Nadu. The petitioner said, it was essential for the doctors to display such stickers in order to attend to emergencies.

He brought to the notice of the court that the GCTP had issued a press release on April 27 this year asking all motorists to remove, by May 1, the stickers such as ‘Press, Secretariat, TNEB, GCC, Defence and Police’ from their motor vehicles since they were prone to misuse.

The press release also insisted on removing logos and emblems of political parties, doctors, advocates and so on. The GCTP also warned of action under the Motor Vehicles Act from May 2 onwards if the motorists continue to display such stickers on their vehicles, the petitioner said and sought exemption for doctors.

In the meatime, a public interest litigation (PIL) petition has also been filed in the High Court for implementing the prohibtion on such stickers not only within the jurisdiction of GCTP but also in other districts as well as cities across the State and to implement it with respect to government vehicles too.

S. Devadoss Gandhi Wilson, a driving school owner from Chennai, had filed the PIL petition contending that the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses should also not be wrapped with commercial advertisement stickers since they distract the other motorists on the road and lead to accidents.

He insisted that the police must crack down on those who had stuck unauthorised dark sunfilms on their car windows, in violation of the Supreme Court orders, and against those who had stuck all kinds of unauthorised stickers on their windshields, rear glass and the number plates.