File photo of a car with a red beacon
Terming it as a 'menace to society', the Supreme Court today came down heavily on the misuse of beacon lights and multi-tone horns or sirens by vehicles on public roads.
"No one apart from High ranking dignitaries, ambulance, police and military should be using them," a Supreme Court bench of justices GS Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda said.
"All unauthorised use of beacon on vehicles and multi-tone horn should be dealt with heavy hand and exemplary fine should be imposed on violators," the top court said.
The Supreme Court also asked all the state governments to come up with a solution by working out possible administrative or legislative steps on the misuse of beacons and sirens.
"We can pass a one line order to remove beacons. We want them to realise that all citizens are at par before the constitution," the top court said.
The top court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by an Uttar Pradesh resident on the misuse of red beacons.
The Uttar Pradesh government, in its reply, said between April and June, 500 hooters (high-volume horns) and 150 red beacons have been removed from cars, in an on-going beacon removal drive.
Earlier, the Supreme Court bench had said that red beacons had become a status symbol and that police personnel, who are put on duty for giving security cover to VIPs, should be deployed for better purposes like making the roads safe for women.
It had also directed the Centre and all the states for giving the list of persons being protected either by the central government or by the state administration.
The top court bench had said that it would consider forming a new mechanism for assessing security threat to people on the basis of which protection is given to them.