New Delhi: The Karnataka high court has issued notice to a Bharatiya Janata Party minister who was given “zero traffic” clearance so that she could rush to the swearing-in ceremony of the Basavaraj Bommai cabinet from the Bengaluru airport.Indian Express has reported that Shashikala Jolle, minister of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department was travelling from New Delhi on August 4.

Jolle reached the Kempegowda airport after 2 pm. By that time, ministers had already begun to be sworn into the cabinet of new chief minister Basavaraj Bommai at Raj Bhavan. At around 2.15 pm, Jolle received a ‘zero traffic’ clearance, which made it possible for her to cover a 37 kilometre distance in around 30 minutes. Jolle was able to take her oath near the end of the ceremony.

A Bengaluru resident had filed a petition alleging that the grant such a clearance to a minister was a breach of protocol. The petitioner has argued that Jolle was given the clearance even though this facility is only available for the chief minister, state home minister along with Union government ministers and governors.A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice N.S. Sanjay Gowda also issued notices to state police and the state government, The Hindu reported. 

The Express report notes, “The court orally observed ‘zero traffic’ clearances can be provided for medical emergencies such as heart transplants and that a case like Jolle’s violated the rights of people to move around freely in the country.”

Coincidentally, Chief Minister Bommai on August 15, announced his decision to do away with zero-traffic privilege for his convoy while travelling in the city, due to the inconvenience it can cause to motorists, The Hindu had reported earlier. 

In late June, during the crisis of the COVID-19 second wave, Vandana Mishra, the chairperson of the women’s wing of the Kanpur chapter of the Indian Industries Association, died on her way to the hospital while her vehicle was caught in traffic because of diversions put up across the city for President Ram Nath Kovind’s convoy.

As The Wire had reported then, the president had expressed condolences and the Kanpur Nagar Police Commissionerate sought “forgiveness” from Mishra’s family, noting that this will be a “big lesson” for it.