The Kerala High Court on Monday stressed the need for some regulations and monitoring on ambulances zipping through the heavy traffic in the State
Justice P. Gopinath wondered whether these ambulances were transporting genuine patients. The court made these oral observations while hearing a bail petition.
The court while adding that this was just a casual observation said that there should be some sort of regulation on movements of ambulances by the State Police Chief or the State government as otherwise this could be used as a cover for illegal activities.
The judge said that during a visit to Chennai, a populated city, he could not see any ambulance on the roads. However, in Kochi and other cities in the State, the situation was different. The number of ambulances on the roads here were high and they were seen driving on the right and left of the road .
Expressing its doubts whether there were any criminal links, the court said that it was a very serious issue. How could the police regulate this? The police could not stop and check all these ambulances plying through the city. When the siren of an ambulance is heard, all would make way for it. God only knows what are being transported in them, it said.
The court recalled a recent incident in which an accused escaped in an ambulance after committing a crime. Many of the ambulances had tinted glass. If the police intercepted the vehicle and a genuine patient was inside, the officer would face disciplinary action, said the court.
