7 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Tuesday (October 7, 2025) directed each States and Union Territories to framework broad roadworthy information rules wrong six months, encompassing aspects specified arsenic pedestrian protection, helmet compliance, wrong-lane driving, unsafe overtaking, the usage of dazzling LED headlights, and the unauthorised installation oregon merchantability of red-blue strobe lights and hooters.
A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan ordered that these rules beryllium framed nether Sections 138(1A) and 210-D of the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, 1988. While Section 138(1A) authorises State governments to modulate the question of pedestrians and non-mechanically propelled vehicles connected nationalist roads and nationalist highways, Section 210-D mandates the medicine of standards for the design, construction, and attraction of roads different than nationalist highways.
Highlighting that determination was a “dire need” to guarantee that pedestrian crossings are harmless truthful that determination is nary “loss of beingness and limb”, the Bench pointed to authorities information showing that much than 35,000 pedestrians were killed successful roadworthy accidents successful 2023, portion implicit 54,000 two-wheeler riders and passengers mislaid their lives owed to non-wearing of helmets.
The directions were issued connected a nationalist involvement litigation petition filed by Coimbatore-based surgeon S. Rajaseekaran, who had drawn attraction to India’s alarming complaint of roadworthy fatalities and what helium described arsenic the “utter callous and casual attitude” of State authorities towards roadworthy information contempt statutory frameworks and repeated judicial pronouncements.
“Pedestrian information is intrinsically linked to broader argumentation goals, including mishap prevention, inclusive mobility, walkability, and biology objectives. The systematic nonaccomplishment of lane subject compromises the predictability of conveyance flows, undermining harmless pedestrian crossings and expanding vulnerability to high-risk interactions,” the Bench said successful its order.
The tribunal besides directed each authorities acrophobic to strictly enforce helmet laws for some riders and pillion passengers. “Strict enforcement of these rules should beryllium ensured inter alia done e-enforcement mechanisms, i.e., cameras installed astatine assorted locations,” it said, directing that details of penalised violators, fines collected, and licences suspended beryllium furnished to the court.
‘Personally liable’
Notably, the tribunal said that officials and contractors would beryllium held personally liable nether Section 198A of the MV Act successful cases wherever pedestrians suffer their lives owed to infrastructural oregon plan failures. “Authorities shall reenforce earlier judicial directions regarding helmet enforcement, pedestrian audits, legislative gaps, and grievance redressal, ensuring continuity, compliance, and accountability. Pedestrian information reviews should beryllium systematically incorporated into existing roadworthy information monitoring frameworks to place lapses and enforce timely remedial action,” the tribunal said.
Expressing interest implicit the “widespread use” of dazzling achromatic LED headlights and hooters that mimic exigency sirens, the Bench directed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), State Transport Departments, and postulation constabulary authorities to prescribe maximum permissible luminance and beam angles for conveyance headlights and guarantee compliance done pollution-under-control (PUC) investigating and conveyance fittingness certification. It besides ordered targeted drives to penalise vehicles fitted with non-compliant headlights and directed a implicit prohibition connected unauthorised red-blue strobe lights and hooters done seizures, marketplace crackdowns, and penalties.
The Bench further instructed authorities to analyse pedestrian infrastructure astatine autobus terminals, metro stations, and railway stations to guarantee conformity with Indian Roads Congress (IRC) standards, a method assemblage functioning nether the MoRTH. It suggested interventions specified arsenic shaded waiting areas, tactile paving, and the redesign of struggle points.
Additionally, the tribunal directed State governments, municipal bodies, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to found a elemental and effectual online grievance redressal mechanics for complaints relating to the attraction oregon encroachment of footpaths and for suggestions connected pedestrian crossings. “The acrophobic authorization should respond to complaints wrong a specified clip framework and guarantee that the contented is resolved successful a time-bound manner. The grievance redressal strategy indispensable incorporated a reappraisal mechanics by higher authorities, to beryllium invoked successful cases wherever the complainant is not satisfied with the solution provided,” the Bench said.
The tribunal clarified that it was not disposing of the petition and would proceed to show compliance with its directions. “The Registry shall database this substance erstwhile again aft a play of 7 months to study compliance of our directions and further advancement successful the matter”, it ordered.
