Karnataka HC stays Centre's notification on higher fee and penalty on aged vehicles
Bengaluru(PTI): The High Court of Karnataka has stayed a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transportation and Highways increasing the fee and penalty on vehicles that are more than 15-years-old.
The enhanced fee came into effect from April one this year. The Ministry issued the notification on October 4 last year.
In 2017, the High Court had quashed a similar notification issued by the Union Government earlier.
"Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the identical notification issued by the respondent No.1/Central is quashed by this court in WP No. 10499/2017," the HC noted and issued an emergent notice to the respondents in connection with the new notification.
The High Court vacation bench of Justice Hemant Chandanagoudar stayed the October 4, 2021 notification till the next date of hearing. The case will be next heard after the respondents have been served the notice.
The Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners' Association had approached the HC against the latest notification by the Ministry.
As per the notification, fee for renewal of registration of cars older than 15 years was enhanced from Rs 600 to Rs 5,000 and bikes from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000.
Fitness renewal certificate fee for buses and trucks older than 15 years was enhanced from Rs 1,500 to Rs 12,500. Fitness renewal was made mandatory for commercial vehicles every year.
Delay in applying renewal of certificate attracts an additional fee of Rs 500 per month for commercial vehicles and Rs 50 for each day of delay after the expiry of the certificate.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
