Activist demands action against use of window tints by non-VIPs

Hyderabad: A city-based activist asserted in a petition to city officials that the use of tinted windows by the families of MLAs, MPs, corporators and other self-proclaimed VIPs is against the law. He urged the city police to act upon the issue.

Vijay Gopal, Founder of the Forum Against Corruption, submitted a petition to the home secretary, DGP and other city police officers. In his petition, he elaborated on how the usage of black screen makes it difficult for authorities to identify the passengers of a vehicle.

He wrote, “The Supreme Court has also given the freedom to the States to form a committee to decide on the black screen matters for people who have been provided with Z and Z+ security and decide on a case to case basis and provide such facilities to their official vehicles. However lately every person of a family of a public representative is assuming himself as a VIP and pasting “Black Screens” to all their windshields as well as the window glasses.”

The activist attached a copy of the Supreme Court of India’s order, which in 2012 (since 4th May 2012) clearly prohibited use of any kind of “Black Screen” by anyone. He continued that MLAs, MPs, Corporators, are not VIP or VVIPs.

Gopal mentioned the Jubilee Hills accident case, which occurred on the early hours of 20th March 2022, in which the jeep owned by the Member of Telangana Legislative Assembly was also found to have been pasted with Black Screens on all sides, making it difficult for the investigation authorities to identify who was driving the vehicle despite checking multiple traffic signal points.

To avoid such incidents in the future, Gopal urged the police to issue instructions to the drivers of the vehicles to ensure that no such black screens are pasted, issue a press note and directions stating that those who go against the Court’s orders can be held accountable for pasting black screens on the vehicles, to remove the black screens of the vehicles that visit the Secretariat or the Telangana State Assembly and to specifically conduct drives at Pubs, Malls, car decor shops, state inter-district highways.