Today, Delhi High Court rejects a petition challenging mandatory uniforms for auto rickshaws and taxi drivers in the Capital.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad rejected the petition and orally observed that this amounted to gross misuse of a public interest litigation (PIL).

Chaalak Shakti, a drivers’ union, filed a petition challenging the mandatory uniform for auto rickshaw and taxi drivers and alleged that such labelling was in violation of the Constitution.

Earlier, the counsel for the petitioner held that prescribing a uniform curtailed the drivers’ freedom of expression and also acted as a symbol of their status.

The Delhi government’s counsel had said certain discipline has to be followed in relation to uniforms.

The high court had earlier asked the government counsel to clarify whether khaki or grey coloured uniform is prescribed for auto drivers in the national capital.

In its plea, the petitioner has alleged that hefty challans of up to Rs 20,000 were being imposed on drivers in the national capital for not wearing uniforms even though the law on the subject was vague and ambiguous.

It has submitted that there is complete ambiguity about the colour of uniform to be worn by auto drivers on duty as Rule 7 of the Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules, 1993 prescribes khaki but the permit conditions laid down by the state authorities mandate grey.