PIL asks cops to charge cabs for safety violations

The government and police should register criminal charges against cab aggregators for the harassment to women caused by their drivers, a PIL filed in the High Court of Karnataka has urged.

A division bench headed by Justice Dinesh Maheshwari heard the PIL filed by N P Amrutesh, who wanted aggregators — Uber and Ola — to be charged for the misdeeds of their drivers.

Noting that several women use Uber and Ola apps to book cabs, the petition cited the audacity of an Ola driver who locked up a woman inside the cab and misbehaved with her on June 1. He also cited an incident where an Ola driver kidnapped a woman headed to the Bengaluru international airport on June 4. Motorists rescued her after hearing her bang on the door.

Such incidents happen frequently despite the state government framing the Passenger Safety Rules 2016, the petitioner noted, accusing Uber and Ola of not taking action, despite the stringent regulation.

Pointing out that no cases have been booked against the companies, Amrutesh stated that cabbies designated to drive the cabs hand over the vehicles to their friends, resulting in violations and crimes.

The petitioner also asked the court to direct the state government to recruit adequate police constables to patrol the city. The court adjourned the hearing to August 8.