New Delhi: The Delhi high court, on Tuesday, ordered the Delhi police and the transport department not to release seized e-rickshaws till they are registered.
Justice Sunil Gaur issued the direction on a plea by the Delhi government’s transport department claiming that the high court’s earlier order not to release seized unregistered e-rickshaws was being interpreted differently by each metropolitan magistrate (MM).
To ensure registration of the vehicles, the high court ordered that the motor licensing officers (MLOs) would accompany the owners to the pit, where the seized e-rickshaws are kept, and inspect them. After inspection, the MLO would tell the owner what else is required to be done for registration of the vehicle.
The transport department, in its application filed by advocate Anuj Aggarwal, said the January one order of the high court needed to be clarified as different MMs were interpreting it differently. One MM in March this year had said that an owner cannot be denied his movable property and ordered the release of a seized unregistered e-rickshaw.
The MM had said that the high court’s January one order only pertained to those e-rickshaws which were seized for theft of electricity. Through the order, the high court had directed that the seized e-rickshaws should be released only after being registered.
The order had come on a plea by some discoms against the theft of electricity by e-rickshaw owners to charge their vehicles. The discoms’ petition had been tagged with a contempt petition filed against the police and transport department for not implementing the high court’s September 9, 2014, ruling to ensure that e-rickshaws ply as per the rules and regulations.
The ruling had come on a PIL alleging that e-rickshaws are illegally plying on Delhi roads.
