NEW DELHI: In response to the alarming rise in pedestrian fatalities on Indian roads—with over 1.4 lakh lives lost between 2019 and 2023—the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed governments to hold officials and contractors personally accountable in cases where pedestrian deaths occur due to infrastructural or design flaws.
The Court mandated the use of Section 198A of the Motor Vehicle Act, introduced in 2019, which states that if negligence by designated authorities, contractors, consultants, or concessionaires responsible for road design, construction, or maintenance leads to death or disability, those parties can face fines of up to Rs 1 lakh.
However, this provision has never been enforced in the past six years, with no penalties imposed. A road safety expert emphasized, “Holding individuals accountable is crucial as currently, it is easy to shift blame. But enforcement requires thorough scientific investigation of each accident.”
The SC also directed the establishment of a simple and effective online grievance redressal system by landowning agencies to address complaints related to poor footpath maintenance and the need for pedestrian crossings—a mechanism currently lacking.
Authorities must respond to grievances within a set timeframe and resolve issues promptly. The court further instructed that the grievance system include a review process by higher authorities if complainants are dissatisfied with the resolution.
Addressing accidents caused by wrong-lane driving, the court ordered state transport departments, traffic police, and urban local bodies to enforce lane discipline using automated cameras, graduated fines, colored and textured lane markings, dynamic lighting, rumble strips, and tyre killers at high-risk locations.
Additionally, the road transport ministry, state transport departments, and traffic police were directed to set standards for vehicle headlight luminance and beam angles, ensure compliance through Pollution Under Control (PUC) tests and vehicle fitness certifications, and conduct targeted drives to penalize vehicles with illegal or modified headlights.
The court also called for a strict ban on unauthorized red-blue strobe lights and illegal hooters, to be enforced through seizures, market crackdowns, and penalties.
