Lifeline Foundation wants to make the common man aware of his rights and duties with regard to Road Traffic Accidents. A key step towards this is, disseminating providing more information on legal rights.
A definitive deterrent towards intervening and saving lives of RTA victims by a good Samaritan is the myth of "police harassment". This is fuelled by ignorance of the laws protecting such good samaritans as well as by wrong depiction of such laws by Hindi films and Television serials.
Lifeline attempts to fight these flawed portrayal by securing public enlightenment of these laws of the land.
The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark judgment in 1989 in the Parmanand Katara vs Union of India case. A three member bench ruled that "There are no provisions in the IPC, Cr.PC, MVA etc. which prevent doctors from promptly attending seriously injured persons and accident case before the arrival of police and their talking into cognizance of such cases, preparation of FIR and other formalities by the police".
Besides this it is clearly stated in Sec 134; Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) -1988
When any person is injured or any property of a 3rd party is damaged as a result of an accident in which a motor vehicle is involved, the driver of the vehicle or other person in charge of the vehicle shall unless it is not practicable to do so on account of mob fury for any other person beyond his control, take all reasonable steps to secure medical attention for the injured person; by conveying him to the nearest medical practitioner or the hospital & it shall be the duty of every registered medical practitioner or the doctor on duty in the hospital immediately to attend to the injured person and render medical aid or treatment without waiting for any procedural formalities.
The Motor Vehicles Act was modified in 1994 to make it mandatory on both the driver/owner of the vehicle to take the accident victim to the nearest doctor, and the doctor to treat the victim without waiting for any formalities.
