Extract
Surjit Singh VS. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd
The Judgement Information System CASE NO.: Writ Petition (civil) 580 of 2003PETITIONER: Common Cause (A Regd. Society)RESPONDENT: Union of India and others DATE OF JUDGMENT: 11/04/2008BENCH: Markandey Katju JUDGMENT: J U D G M E N TREPORTABLE Writ Petition (Civil) No. 580 of 2003 Markandey Katju, J.1. This writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution furnishes a typical illustration of how public interest litigation which was conceived and created as a judicial tool by the courts in this country for helping the poor, weaker and oppressed sections of society, who could not approach the court due to their poverty, has over the years grown and grown, and now it seems to have gone totally out of control, and has become something so strange and bizarre that those who had created it probably would be shocked to know what it has become.2. The petitioner is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act which claims to be engaged in espousing problems of general public importance.3. In the present case, the petitioner has referred to the rising number of road accidents in the country which are taking place in cities, towns and on national highways causing deaths, injuries etc. The petitioner has referred to the defects in the licensing procedure, the training of drivers, and the need for suspending licences in case of negligent driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol, which cause accidents etc. He has also referred to the inadequate infrastructure relating to roads and inadequate provisions of traffic control devices including traffic signals, traffic signs, road devices and other road safety measures. It has been stated in the petition that there should be proper and continuous coordination between various authorities which are connected with roads and control of traffic, and for this purpose the only appropriate remedy is to establish Road Safety Committees. The petitioner has also emphasized the need for having readily available ambulances for shifting the injured persons in road accidents to hospitals for immediate treatment.4. The petitioner has also stated that there should be road safety education for the users of roads, pedestrians, traffic participants including cyclists, handcarts men, bullock- cart drivers etc., who generally have low socio-economic and educational background and do not know traffic rules and regulations. The petitioner has alleged that pedestrians and non- motorized traffic face enormous risks as they...
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