Supreme Court has recently dismissed an appeal that was filed by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) against the Madhya Pradesh high court order. The MP high court in 2008 banned the selling of all such two-wheelers that did not have safety essentials for pillion rider such as a saree guard or hand grips. The recent decision by Supreme Court suggests that only two-wheelers which have saree guard and hand grips for the pillion rider will be allowed to be registered to ply on Indian roads. After the Madhya Pradesh High Court imposed a ban on two-wheelers that did not have either a saree guard or hand grip, the auto manufacturers moved to Supreme Court in the same year. The SC had put a stay on the said order and hence, the automakers got a kind of relief for some years. Now that SC has rejected SIAM’s plea, what remains to be seen is that how the order will affect the motorcycle manufacturers. SIAM had taken the side of auto manufacturers, giving a reason that not all pillion riders are women and since the design of two-wheelers had been approved already, it would not be a simple thing to change it now.
Watch our panel discussion video on Road Safety in India at Auto Expo 2018:
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It is not clear at the moment whether all two-wheelers essentially need to have hand grips in the middle of the seat or just a saree guard will do the task. For those not in the know, all two-wheelers that are manufactured in India or arrive via the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route do come with a saree guard in the interest of pillion safety. However, hand grips are still not present in the middle of the seat between the rider and pillion even in the volume churning commuter bikes. The motorcycles that come to India via the CBU (Completely Built Up) route or fall under the (FTA) Free Trade Agreements do not even have a saree guard.
If the order means that all two-wheelers in India will now need to come with hand grips from now on as mandatory, this can be a big thing to worry for the two-wheeler manufacturers as significant changes in the design need to be carried out to do the needful. More details to follow in the coming days!
