The State government told the Karnataka High Court that the child lock system in around 42,000 cabs/taxis of the total 2.5 lakh registered across the State has been deactivated as per the new rule. They would also be deactivated in the remaining cabs within 3 months.
PIL petition filed by the Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is disposed of by a division bench comprised of acting Chief Justice L. Narayana Swamy and Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar, which recorded these submissions.
However, Additional Advocate-General (AAG) A.S. Ponnanna told the bench that the process of deactivating the child lock system in a car is a tedious one requiring around two hours for each vehicle. Amending the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules, the system has already been deactivated in 42,000 cabs/taxis since the new law came into force on December 14, 2018.
The petitioner-society had sought a direction to the State to deactivate the child lock in cabs/taxis. They pointed out that the system, which was introduced keeping in mind the safety of children sitting in the rear seat in all types of cars, has in the recent past turned into a threat to the safety of women traveling by cabs/taxis.
The State, in response to the PIL, came out with a proposal before the court in September last year stating that Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules would be amended for regulating the child lock in cabs, and issued draft rules in October 2018.
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