The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stayed the city government’s recent move prohibiting auto drivers from putting advertisements and posters on their auto rickshaws.
A vacation bench of justices P K Bhasin and V P Vaish, while hearing a plea of a group of auto drivers against the government’s 6 June order, said ‘the operation of the impugned order be kept in abeyance.’
The bench also issued a notice to the transport department of Delhi government and sought a response by 8 July.
The Delhi government had recently initiated the move to prosecute autorickshaw owners or drivers under Rule 71(2) of Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules for displaying advertisements on their vehicles.
Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the drivers, told the court that the government action is discriminatory against poor auto drivers and is also targeted at Aam Aadmi Party whose posters were put up by thousands of auto drivers.
The auto drivers said ‘The said rule is ultra vires the enabling Act which empowers the respondent (govt) to frame rules to regulate (not even ‘restrict’) but not to prohibit the advertisements on autorickshaws.’
A vacation bench of justices P K Bhasin and V P Vaish, while hearing a plea of a group of auto drivers against the government’s 6 June order, said ‘the operation of the impugned order be kept in abeyance.’
The bench also issued a notice to the transport department of Delhi government and sought a response by 8 July.
The Delhi government had recently initiated the move to prosecute autorickshaw owners or drivers under Rule 71(2) of Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules for displaying advertisements on their vehicles.
Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the drivers, told the court that the government action is discriminatory against poor auto drivers and is also targeted at Aam Aadmi Party whose posters were put up by thousands of auto drivers.
The auto drivers said ‘The said rule is ultra vires the enabling Act which empowers the respondent (govt) to frame rules to regulate (not even ‘restrict’) but not to prohibit the advertisements on autorickshaws.’