The State government on Friday clarified to the High Court of Karnataka that the police would allow use of private two-wheelers and four-wheelers only for genuine and limited purposes if users explain to the police the exact location and purposes such as purchase of medicines or groceries or visit to clinic.
Additional Advocate-General (AAG) Dhyan Chinnappa pointed out to the Bench that restrictions on use of private two-wheelers and four-wheelers were imposed as people were found using their vehicles without any urgent reason but just to drive on empty roads and thereby defeating the very purpose of lockdown.
The police are only seizing vehicles found using unnecessarily when the vehicle users had failed to give proper explanation about the purpose of use despite restrictions on movement of vehicles owing to lockdown.
Following this clarification, a special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice B.V. Nagarathna said that the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police could give instructions to the police across the State on the lines of submissions made by the AAG on use of private two-wheelers and four-wheelers.
However, the Bench made it clear that citizens should not move in their vehicles unnecessarily and must cooperate with the police.
It was pointed in a plea, filed by Syed Suhail Ali, that people may not get all essential commodities within walkable distance from their residences and at times it is difficult to carry them in hands.
