सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने वाहन सुरक्षा के मौजूदा नियमों की पुष्टि की, नई आदेश नहीं दिया

The

Supreme Court has disposed of a public interest litigation seeking directions for effective implementation and enforcement of mandatory safety measures in vehicles, including the use of seat belts, child restraint systems and first-aid kits.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India and Justices Joymalyа Bagchi and V. Mohana passed the order on 09.09.2026, in a writ petition filed under Article 32 by internationally acclaimed diabetic specialist and researcher Jothydev Kesavadev.

The petitioner, who has over 300 publications to his credit, approached the Supreme Court claiming that despite existing statutory requirements concerning passenger safety, compliance and enforcement remained inadequate.

PIL highlighted non-functional seat belt sockets and passenger safetyAccording to the petitioner's averments, Section 194B of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 prescribes penalties for driving without wearing a safety belt and for carrying passengers who are not wearing safety belts.

The petition also referred to the statutory requirement concerning children, under which children below the prescribed age are required to be secured through safety belts or child restraint systems.

Further reliance was placed on Rule 138(3) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which requires the driver, front-seat occupants and applicable front-facing rear-seat occupants to wear seat belts while the vehicle is in motion.

The petitioner alleged that, notwithstanding these requirements, seat belt sockets in a large number of vehicles had been rendered non-functional through measures such as installation of seat covers, removal of receptacles and other voluntary modifications.

The petitioner's case was that such practices, coupled with what he described as ânegligence on behalf of the citizensâ and weak enforcement of existing laws, exposed passengers involved in road accidents to a heightened risk of serious injuries and death.

The petitioner had also submitted a representation to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 16.02.2026, raising concerns regarding passenger safety and seat belt usage. The petition stated that no response was received from the authorities, prompting the approach to the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court says adequate laws already existAfter hearing counsel for the petitioner and examining the record, the Court observed that the existence of adequate laws mandating compliance with safety measures, including the use of safety belts while a vehicle is in motion, was âhardly disputable.â

The Bench noted that the issue raised in the petition essentially concerned non-compliance with existing laws by passengers and the failure of law-enforcement agencies to take appropriate action against defaulters.

The Court observed:âThe non-compliance with these laws by the passengers or the failure of law enforcing agencies in taking appropriate action against defaulters is essentially a question of maintenance of law and order as well as traffic discipline.âThe Court was therefore not persuaded that another judicial reiteration of the existing statutory requirements would, by itself, address the enforcement problem.

It held:

âA judicial order by this Court reiterating the mandatory legal provisions per se will not aid in their enforcement.âPetitioner given liberty to approach Road Transport Ministry

Rather than issuing directions reiterating the statutory requirements, the Supreme Court disposed of the writ petition while granting liberty to the petitioner to forward a copy of the petition to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The Ministry, the Court said, could consider the recommendations and suggestions made by the petitioner as part of road safety measures. The Court accordingly disposed of the writ petition and all pending applications.

(The author of this article, Vatsal Chandra is a Delhi-based Advocate practicing before the courts of Delhi NCR.)

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