SHC Directs Lawyers, Staff to Remove Green Plates from Private Cars
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued strict directives ordering all legal practitioners, judicial officers, and court staff across the province to immediately remove green number plates, official monograms, and judicial logos from their private vehicles. The high court made it clear that the unauthorized display of state insignias on personal automobiles directly violates traffic laws, compromises security protocols, and undermines public accountability.
According to the official notification issued by the SHC administration, the privilege of utilizing green license plates and government insignias is strictly confined to designated official state-owned transport assigned to specific public duty officers. The decisive directive follows growing reports of lawyers and court administrative employees affixing high-court emblems on private cars to evade routine police checks, toll taxes, and standard traffic enforcement across major urban centers, including Karachi, Hyderabad, and Sukkur.
Legal experts and civil society advocates have welcomed the bench’s action, noting that the widespread misuse of judicial emblems has long contributed to a prevailing culture of VIP entitlement and selective law enforcement in the province. By enforcing strict adherence to standardized motor vehicle regulations, the high court aims to bolster institutional integrity, restore public trust in the judicial system, and ensure that legal professionals lead by example in respecting provincial transport statutes.
Furthermore, the Sindh High Court has instructed the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Traffic Police and regional law enforcement agencies to initiate immediate crackdowns against non-compliant vehicles across Sindh. Traffic wardens have been empowered to confiscate illegal license plates, issue hefty fines, and submit formal reports regarding recalcitrant court staff or advocate bar members directly to the SHC registrar for subsequent administrative and disciplinary proceedings.