Vehicles used by President, VP, Governors must be registered

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in its affidavit submitted to the Delhi High Court has said that it has written to the concerned authorities to get the vehicles used by India's top constitutional authorities registered. These include the President, Vice President, Governors and Lieutenant Governors as well as their respective Secretariats at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). As per the new notification, all official vehicles must display a valid license plate.

A petition filed by the NGO Nyayabhoomi claims that the practice of displaying the national emblem on official vehicles makes them stand out and can thus be easy targets for terrorists. Besides, it is "arbitrary and symptomatic of the desire to rule rather than to serve," the petition said. The public interest litigation (PIL) also sought direction to the Delhi Government and Delhi Police to seize the cars that aren't registered under the Motor Vehicles Act.

In response to the affidavit, the MEA has told the Delhi High Court that the process of registration of its 14 vehicles has been initiated. These vehicles are mostly used to ferry foreign dignitaries. The Rashtrapati Bhawan has reportedly refused to supply registration numbers of its cars on the ground that such a disclosure would compromise the security of the state and physical safety of the President.

Source: The Indian Express