The central government has issued a set of enforceable instructions to protect citizens who help road accident victims.
Issued by the Union road transport ministry, these will protect such "good Samaritans" from procedural and legal harassment if they help such victims, with suitable compensation provisions for the help rendered.
These steps follow a Supreme Court (SC) directive. There is at present no law or guideline that seeks to protect such a rescuer. A few governments in the country, however, have issued directions in this regard, forbidding the harassment of a person who brings a road victim to hospital. Such an advisory, for instance, was issued by the Delhi Police after the notorious December 16, 2012, gangrape.
These new guidelines make the disclosure of any personal information voluntary and optional in hospitals on the filling of medico-legal forms. The ministry of health and family welfare will also be issuing guidelines forbidding all registered public and private hospitals from demanding payment for registration and admission costs of a road collision or accident victim from such samaritans.
"This is a long overdue step and although a good interim measure, the guidelines need the force of the law behind it. Such wide-ranging reforms also need to be legally binding across states for its effective implementation. In case, good samaritans are harassed, we have facilitated reporting through WhatsApp or through phone calls," said Piyush Tewari, founder and president, Save Life Foundation, an organisation working for road safety. This body had petitioned the SC on the issue.
In many cases, the bystander is also a witness. For such cases, a standard operating procedure is being devised by the law ministry, to avoid harassment or intimidation. "The issued procedures will be enforceable. In case of non-compliance with the instructions by the police or hospitals, necessary action can be taken against them," said a senior road ministry official involved in drafting the guidelines.
