Women lawyers ask for 33% reservation: HC stays polls to Tumakuru District Advocates Association
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has stayed the elections to the Tumakuru District Advocates Association, following a petition by the women advocates of the Bar Association urging for an implementation of 33 per cent reservation in the Association.
The single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna, hearing the petition on Wednesday, passed the interim order on the elections scheduled for April 5, adding that the next hearing of the case would be on Friday, March 21, reports LiveLaw.
The petitioners had stated that they had written to the Election Officer and President of the Tumakuru Bar Association on March 5, urging that one-thirds of the posts in the Association be reserved for women advocates. The Association, which took a decision on the matter on March 17, rejected the request of the petitioners. It also cited bylaws of the Association, according to which, reservation had already been provided for women advocates. It added that it faced restrictions related to authority provided to committees as well as time to take decisions on such matters, the petitioners said.
Alleging that the Association had failed to exercise discretion in a matter related to constitutional morality, the petitioners called ‘lack of time’ an unreasonable excuse on the part of the Association. The women advocates have also told the High Court that the rejection of the request for 33 per cent reservation for women in the elections, although the Association had a considerable number of female members, amounts to gender discrimination and violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
Advocate Vidyashree KS appeared for the petitioners.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi govt gears up to enforce ban on refuelling overaged vehicles from April 1: Officials
New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI): The Delhi government is gearing up to enforce a ban on refuelling overage petrol and diesel vehicles in the city starting April 1. Over 80 per cent of filling stations across the city will be equipped with devices to identify deregistered vehicles.
The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at petrol pumps will be capable of detecting both overaged vehicles and those lacking a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, officials said.
Delhi has around 500 fuel pump stations, and the new systems are being implemented at these locations. When a vehicle that does not comply with the regulations comes in for refuelling, the system will flag it, prompting attendants to refuse refueling, officials added.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa explained that enforcement will be strengthened through the use of modern technology, including emission-monitoring devices at petrol pumps. Vehicles without a valid PUC certificate will be flagged, and appropriate action will be taken.
"The devices are being installed at fuel pump stations throughout the city to identify vehicles not fulfilling norms. These new gadgets are already installed at over 80 per cent of the petrol pumps," he told reporters.
The Transport Department of the Delhi government deregistered over 59 lakh vehicles until September last year.
Diesel vehicles that have been on the road for 10 years after registration and petrol vehicles that have been on the road for 15 years are automatically deregistered from the Transport Department database, as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal.
Overaged vehicles, if found parked in public places or on the road, are seized by the Transport Department. The Delhi government has also introduced a policy offering incentives to owners of such vehicles for scrapping them, officials said.
In 2024, the government issued guidelines for handling end-of-life vehicles in public places. The guidelines state that impounded vehicles can only be released if the owner agrees to park them in private premises or gets them registered in another state after obtaining the necessary approvals.
