Act against lawyers misusing advocate symbols: Madras HC to police

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court allowed the police to act against lawyers misusing advocate symbols by violating the restrictions not to display stickers and pasting dark sun control films on private vehicles.

The first division bench of acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq heard a petition moved by S Devadoss Gandhi Wilson seeking a direction to implement the restriction across the State, including government vehicles.

The additional commissioner of traffic in Chennai, R Sudhakar filed a report stating that a separate committee has been constituted to monitor the ban of pasting dark sun film on the windshield of the private vehicles. More than 6,000 cases have been filed till May, against those violating the restriction and pasted dark sun film in vehicles, similarly more than 51,000 thousand cases were filed for violating the restriction of not displaying stickers on number plates.

Further, Rs 2.89 crore has been collected as a fine for violations, said the additional commissioner of traffic. After the submission, the bench posted the matter after two weeks by directing the State to file a status report regarding the implementation of the restrictions. On April 27, the Chennai traffic police issued a press note stating that no private vehicles should use stickers and logos on the number plate or any other part of the vehicle. The petitioner contended that State-owned MTC buses are the major violators of the sticker rule, however, the press note didn’t mention the stickers on government vehicles.

There must be a uniform rule and conduct for all road users, whether government or private vehicles, submitted the petitioner, and also sought to implement restrictions across the State and not just in Chennai city.