K’taka HC allows police to release vehicles seized during curbs

Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court on Wednesday allowed the police department to release over 1

Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court on Wednesday allowed the police department to release over 1.5 lakh vehicles seized for violation of Covid-19 restrictions imposed across the state. The court noted that since a large number of vehicles have been seized, it would be difficult for the police to find adequate space to park these vehicles.

HT Image

As per the data submitted to the HC, 1,37,503 two-wheelers, 7,432 four-wheelers and 7,123 other vehicles have been seized in the state so far. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Suraj Govindaraj ordered that such vehicles can be released to their owners after verification of documents along with an undertaking and deposit of fines.

The order was passed on an application filed by the state government seeking the release of such vehicles. The government, in its application, had sought authorisation for the jurisdictional police to release the seized vehicles as such a large number of vehicles could not be transported to the jurisdictional courts. In the normal course, the vehicles owners will have to file applications for the release of the vehicles before the jurisdictional magistrate or wait till the case is finally adjudicated.

Observing that the jurisdictional magistrates would be overburdened if the owners apply separately for return of vehicles, the bench said: “In the event, the persons claiming to be the owners of the vehicles which have been seized for violation of various orders issued concerning Covid-19 make an application to the jurisdictional Police Officers to grant custody of the seized vehicles, after verification of the ownership of the applicants, it will be open for the jurisdictional Police Officers to give custody of the seized vehicles to the owners by exercising the powers under sub-section (3) of Section 102 of Cr.P.C.”

In another order, on Tuesday , the HC has directed the state government to ensure all those domestic workers eligible to receive the ₹2,000 compensation must get the said benefit. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka said: “The applicant’s counsel is prima facie right in submitting that it will be very difficult for domestic workers to get themselves registered on Seva Sindhu portal. In fact, the government order states that the benefit has been extended to workers from other states working in Karnataka,” the bench noted in its order.

The bench asked the state how unorganised domestic workers would travel to Seva Sindhu Centres to claim ₹2000 compensation at a time when public transport remains suspended due to Covid-19 lockdown.