Karnataka HC issues direction to govt on audio announcements in private buses
Bengaluru, Nov 9: The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday said the Government on its own should direct private bus operators to install audio announcement systems to help visually-challenged passengers.
Asking the government to issue a circular in this regard, the division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit said, "Needless to state, such circulars would be additional circulars for fixing such facilities for those operators who have already received permission for plying buses and it would be pre-condition to those operator seeking fresh permission from State Government for plying buses."
The HC also gave four weeks to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and the State government to file affidavits on the action taken by them in regards to implementing the system in the corporation's buses.
The HC also directed the petitioner to submit a representation to the authorities on suggestions to make the mobile commuter app disabled-friendly.
Shreyas N, a visually challenged person, had filed the PIL seeking a direction to the government to install audio alert system in public transport corporation buses similar to the ones found on the Namma Metro.
Such a system was introduced on a trial basis in some BMTC buses a few years ago and then discontinued.
Earlier, the HC had directed the state government to come up with its suggestions on the issue and become a role model to other states.
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Kerala: Court imposes 41-year jail term on man for sexual assault of minor
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 41 years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor boy near Valayam in 2021.
Nadapuram Fast Track Special Court judge K Naushad Ali sentenced 64-year-old Panchara Musa, also known as Ganapathiyat Musa, under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to special public prosecutor Manoj Aroor.
As the sentences are to run concurrently, the convict will have to serve the highest term of 20 years’ imprisonment, SPP Aroor said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 52,000 on Musa.
The incident took place in August 2021 when the accused allegedly took the 14-year-old boy to a bus stop in Valayam town and sexually assaulted him, the prosecutor said. The accused also gave Rs 50 to the boy, he added.
Following the incident, the boy and his father lodged a complaint at the Valayam police station.
A case under various provisions of the POCSO Act and the IPC was registered, and the accused was subsequently arrested, the SPP said.
The prosecution examined 16 witnesses and submitted 16 documents to substantiate its case against the accused, he added.
