HC declines to stay Centre's advisory against crash guards

The Delhi High Court today declined to pass any interim order putting on hold the Centre's advisory to the states to take action against fitting of crash guards or 'bull bars' on vehicles.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar refrained from passing a direction on the oral plea moved on behalf of the manufacturers and sellers of such vehicle accessories seeking a stay on the advisory.
The court, however, allowed them to be impleaded in a PIL which has claimed that while these crash guards and 'bull bars' may look stylish and protect the vehicle in low speed impacts, in high speed accidents they would defeat the in- built safety features of the car resulting in serious and fatal injuries to the passengers.

The central government standing counsel, Anurag Ahluwalia, appearing for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways which had issued the advisory in December last year, said the PIL has become infructuous since its direction to the states to take stern action against unauthorised fitting of crash guards or bull bars on vehicles.
Ahluwalia also said that the scope of the petition cannot be expanded in this manner by allowing the manufacturers and sellers of the crash guards to intervene in the matter and challenge the government's decision.
He said that they can challenge the advisory by filing separate writ petitions.

The advisory has directed the state governments to take action against the unauthorised fitting of crash guards on the vehicles, saying that it posed a danger to both pedestrians and vehicle occupants and were also in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on March 12.