Overview
- The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court dismissed the public challenge on June 29, rejecting a petition that sought to strike down the proviso to Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
- The judges held the exemption for a Sikh person wearing a turban is a permissible reasonable classification under Article 14 and said it is not granted on the basis of caste, creed, or religion.
- The court acknowledged that the helmet mandate exists to protect lives but concluded the narrow carve‑out accommodates the turban as an indispensable article of faith for orthodox Sikhs without violating fundamental rights.
- The division bench comprised Justices Urmila Joshi-Phalke and Nivedita Mehta; petitioner Kirtesh Vikas Chaudhari appeared in person and the Union of India was represented by Deputy Solicitor General Kartik Shukul and advocate Chirag Batra in Criminal Writ Petition 416 of 2026.
- Section 129 ordinarily makes helmets mandatory for two‑wheelers but includes the longstanding proviso for turban-wearing Sikhs, and the ruling affirms that targeted statutory accommodations can pass constitutional muster while leaving open any further legal challenge or appeal.