KOCHI: The assault on a leading Malayalam actor has spread panic across the state with reports saying her driver was the kingpin behind the incident. The case has also exposed a glaring gap in the law as there is no restriction on a person from becoming a driver even if he has a criminal background.
Though online taxis such as Ola and Uber are firm on an NOC from the police for being their driver, no such certificate is necessary for getting the job in most institutions. Though the Motor Vehicles Department is responsible for issuing the driver badge, the conduct certificate from the police is not a necessity. It can be issued even by a panchayat president.
“If the panchayat president can issue a conduct certificate what is the need of the police. Does the local body have any knowledge about the criminal background of a person. The law should be amended to bring in a proper mechanism,” said a top government officer.
Ernakulam District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla has issued a directive to prepare a list of drivers with criminal background. “At present, we have no such system. Such rules are applicable only for schoolbus drivers. We don’t issue the licence to drive schoolbus if the driver is booked for drunken driving or other violation. It is the police who have to provide the details of such people but at present no such system exists,” said a top MVD officer.