Asking people not to be under the mistaken impression that High Court Judges always travel in cars, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh said he often travels by bicycle, in government buses and even on foot and therefore knows the problems such commuters face.
The Judge was hearing a petition filed by two individuals, Mohammed Ashik and Mohammed Shadik to quash a criminal case booked against them for having reportedly indulged in motorcycle stunts on Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, off Cathedral Road, in Chennai.
The court was informed that a group of youngsters in about 10 motorcycles had indulged in wheeling, rash driving and overspeeding near AVM Avenue at 1:30 a.m. on March 19, 2022. Such irresponsible behaviour on the main road had caused great threat to other motorists.
K. Sathyamurthy, a police constable on patrol duty, had noticed the youngsters indulge in such rash and negligent acts but he could not catch them because they sped away. The policeman could not note down those vehicles’ registration numbers.
However, he informed the control room and complained to the Adyar Traffic Investigation Wing. Immediately, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered to take up the investigation based on the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage in the locality.
After asking Additional Public Prosecutor A. Damodaran to submit the CCTV footage in court, Justice Venkatesh said, he had been terrified, many times, by such rash riding of motorcycles by youngsters on public roads, whenever he travels to places on his bicycle.
The Judge said those who possess the talent of indulging in bike stunts should display them in racing circuits rather than choosing to do so on public roads. “Show your prowess in places meant for such things, not on public roads,” the Judge said before adjourning the case to March 18.
