Give more time for fuel stickers, HSRP before fining people, HC suggests govt

new delhi: The Delhi High Court Thursday suggested to the AAP government to give more time to people to obtain colour coded fuel stickers and high security registration plates (HSRP) before it starts fining them Rs 5,500 for the violations.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh said the Delhi government should not create panic among the citizens which would make some people take advantage of the situation.

The court also said that advertising the requirement for stickers and HSRP by the Delhi government in August this year "was not the ideal time".

The judges said that even they were clueless about the requirement of the stickers and asked additional standing counsel Satyakam to come with "detailed instructions" regarding steps taken by the Delhi government to publicise the stickers and HSRP.

They asked the counsel to also come with instructions on who decided to outsource the sale of stickers and HSRP to OEMs, who fixed the rates for the same, and whether more time ought to be given to people to obtain the stickers and HSRP before starting to fine them for lack of the same.

The bench said that even the vehicles of the high court lacked these stickers and wondered whether they would be fined too.

Justice Singh, referring to his own personal experience with regard to the stickers, said he came to know about it from news reports of the challan drive and he booked the stickers for two of his vehicles with much difficulty as the website for the same kept crashing.

The court was hearing a PIL by the President of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC), Anil Kumar, alleging that the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) were overcharging for the colour coded fuel stickers and HSRP that have been made mandatory for vehicles in the national capital.