Protection of lives of road accident victims is
possible to the maximum possible extent only if good people come
forward to take them to hospitals. A timely first aid and early
access to medical facilities is sine quo non for lesser mortality
rates.
Supreme Court of India addressed this issue and
other related ones in Savelife
Foundation & Anr v. Union of India & Anr, Writ Petition
(Civil) No(s). 235 Of 2012 (SC) (PDF). A Committee was
constituted by the Supreme Court and one of the points of reference
was incorporated into clause (x) which reads as follows:
(x) Deliberate and develop a set of guidelines for
protecting Good Samaritans from police harassment and legal hassles.
The guidelines will aim to address the root causes for fear of
harassment and legal hassles in general public regarding helping
injured victims. These guidelines will also serve as a foundation for
further legislative work in the area of protecting Good Samaritans.
In a welcome move, the Narendra Modi led Government
has issued Guidelines
on Protection of Good Samaritan While Saving Lives of Road Accident
Victims (2015) (PDF). This shows the sensitivity of Indian
Government towards the precious lives that can be saved if road
accident victims can be taken to hospitals as soon as possible.
Although there is no dearth of good people to take
accident victims to the hospitals yet legal formalities and legal
hassles have forced many not to take the much needed actions. Now
with these guidelines it can be hoped that more precious lives would
be saved.
Perry4Law
organisation (P4LO) welcomes this move of Indian Government and
hopes that more such constructive and pro active initiatives would be
taken by the Indian Government in near future.
Source: Global
Techno Legal News And Views.
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