New Delhi: In line with prevalent norms in
major parts of the world, the Delhi High Court today asked
the government to grant driving licences to hearing-impaired
persons if they satisfy other necessary criteria under the
Motor Vehicles Act which prohibits them from driving.
"We are obliged to certify that if an applicant is
totally deaf, he has to be called for the test if he applies
for a learner's licence without medical certificate and if he
passes the test as required under the rule, then he shall be
granted the learner's licence as that is the statutory
requirement," said a division bench of Chief Justice Dipak
Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
"Similarly if a person is totally deaf but satisfies the
necessary criteria, he shall be allowed to obtain the
(permanent) driving licence," the bench added.
The Motor Vehicle Act currently prohibits
hearing-impaired persons from driving on the ground that they
may pose danger to others.
The bench gave its ruling on a public interest
litigation by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
seeking the court's direction to quash the requirement of no
hearing impairment stipulation for issuing a driving licence
under the Motor Vehicle Act.
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 14, 2011, 21:23