Express News Service By

KOCHI:The Kerala High Court on Friday declined to stay a Single Judge’s order mandating helmet for pillion riders.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A M Shaffique adjourned the appeal filed by the State Government to November 9. The State submitted that the interim order ought not have passed, after the enforcement of notification decades ago.

The State Government said that the interim order was passed without giving an opportunity to inform its stand, and that a reading of the order would show that it was in the form of a final order. The State Government had invited objections and suggestions to its proposal to grant exemption to persons travelling on two-wheelers, other than the rider, on wearing helmet.

The Single Judge had passed the interim order on a petition filed by T U Ravindran of Palluruthy in Kochi, seeking a directive to make helmet mandatory for pillion riders. Section-129 of the Motor Vehicles Act-1988 mandates that both the twowheeler rider and the pillion rider have to compulsorily wear helmet. According to him, the exemption from wearing the protective head gear had caused a lot of accidents, leading to the death of pillion riders in many cases. In the appeal, the State submitted that the petition was based on newspaper reports with respect to deaths occurred in motor bike accidents.

The Bench asked the Registry to post the petition, along with the appeal filed by the State Government.