SC transfers to itself pleas on permitting quadriycles

The petitions, pending in six High Courts against the central government's permission to allow quadricycles under a new four-wheeler vehicle category, were today ordered to be transfered to the Supreme Court.
A bench, headed by Justice Dipak Misra, also said that its earlier order that had vacated high courts' stay orders on government's permission will continue till April 22, the next date of hearing.
The high courts had stayed that government's notification that amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, for allowing quadricycles under a new vehicle category will not come into force till they decide the pleas.
The notification had also enabled the government to specify separate standards for the new category.

The apex court also granted three weeks' time to the Centre and the Automotive Research Association of India file on record their submissions making clear their stand on the pleas that have opposed introduction of quadricycles raising safety concerns.
The court was hearing the plea of the Centre seeking transfer of petitions from high courts at Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Madras, Patna and Gujarat, to the apex court.

Some persons and regional auto component manufacturers had moved the high courts against the government's notification allowing quadricycles.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had stayed the high courts' orders, making the government notification operational again.

The Centre has sought transfer of related pleas to the apex court on the ground that the new commercial vehicle category will "fundamentally change the country's transport economy".
The government notification allowed quadricycles from October 2014.