Kerala HC Asks Govt To Take Stern Action On Errant Contract Carriers

Days after a bus accident resulted in the death of nine people, including five students, the Kerala High Court on Monday cracked the whip on errant bus owners and crew and asked the government to suspend the fitness certificates of such vehicles violating the law, along with the licence of its drivers.

A Division Bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajithkumar asked the Transport Department, the Road Safety Authority, and the State police to take stern action against the contract carriers which violate the laws.

The court also mooted taking action against the vloggers who encourage such violations. Nine people, including five students, were killed on October 5 after a private tourist bus hit a State-run KSRTC bus from behind at Vadakkencherry in Palakkad district.

The accident occurred at around 11.30 PM on Wednesday when the private bus, which was driven at a high speed, attempted to overtake a car and hit the rear-end of a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus.

The tourist bus had started from the Baselios Vidyanikethan Senior Secondary School in Ernakulam at around 7 PM on Wednesday with 42 students and five teachers for a pleasure trip to Ooty in Tamil Nadu.

The Division Bench had intervened in the matter seeking a report from the police and the MVD regarding the accident and how such a bus, having flashing or laser lights and pressure horns, was issued a fitness certificate.

The Bench also ordered that flashing or laser lights and banned horns should not be used in vehicles and those having the same should be impounded.

Meanwhile, State Transport Commissioner S Sreejith, who is also the State Road Safety commissioner, had on Friday appeared before Justice Devan Ramachandran who had intervened in the matter, and said the bus involved in the accident was blacklisted for five offences.

He had said that only 2.5 lakh, out of the around 8.35 lakh public carriages, have installed GPS systems.