Ramachandran Nair, J.

Chief Secretary to Government, Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram is made additional respondent in this appeal. Government Pleader takes notice for the additional respondent.

2. It has come to our notice that a motorbike bearing registration No. KRV/6812 is lying in the City Traffic Police Station, Thiruvananthapuram for the last eight years. The vehicle stated to be involved in a road accident was recovered by the police in Crime No. 516 of 2000. Even though F.I.R. was registered, the case was closed by the court on the basis of the final report filed by the police. However, the motorbike is not claimed by anybody and is lying in the police station for the last eight years. Even though its physical condition is not known, we are sure it will now be only a junk or virtually scrap. This is only one of the hundreds of vehicles lying in large number of police stations, excise offices, offices of the R.T.O., Collectorates and even in court campuses.

3. Automobiles are essentially made of steel which get rusted and destroyed when exposed to sun and rain for long period. Vehicles are mainly seized by various Government agencies like State excise, Forest Depa