Srinagar, Feb 19: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has taken notice of systemic lapses in ensuring women’s safety and reserved seating in public transport across the Union Territory.
The notice was taken by Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal.
The matter arose from a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Monisa Manzoor Mir.
The PIL highlights the non-implementation of the Transport Department’s circular dated January 7, 2025, which mandated reservation of seats for women, seats 1-12 in large buses and 1-9 in mini-buses.
According to the petitioner, information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) from the Transport Commissioner and RTO Kashmir revealed no inspections, penalties, or functional public helpline for enforcement.
“While Flying Squads were reportedly constituted by the RTO, no evidence of their ground-level action was produced,” the PIL states.
The petition further says an internal survey conducted among 298 women from local educational institutions showed that 85.6% had faced harassment or discomfort, with most unaware of any complaint mechanism.
Advocate Monisa Manzoor Mir also highlighted successful initiatives in other states, such as Delhi’s “Pink Tickets”, Karnataka’s “Tejaswini Buses” and Maharashtra-Tamil Nadu’s “Shakti Schemes”, stressing that legislative changes are not necessary to implement effective safety measures.
During proceedings, Government Advocate Illyas Nazir Laway accepted notice on behalf of the respondents and requested time to obtain instructions and submit a formal response.
The Court listed the matter for March 4, with directions to the government to file its reply—(KNO)
