SC orders strict highway safety norms across India

Observing that expressways must not become corridors of peril due to administrative lethargy or infrastructural gaps, the Supreme Court of India has issued a slew of pan-India guidelines for enhancing road safety, including a ban on parking of heavy vehicles on such roads.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar pointed out that national highways constitute two percent of India’s total road length but account for nearly 30 percent of all road fatalities.
The bench issued directions to the Ministry of Road Transport, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and States and Union Territories to make roads safer, observing that the loss of even a single life to avoidable hazards like illegal parking or blackspots represents a failure of the State’s protective umbrella.
“The ‘Right to Life’ under Article 21 is not merely a guarantee against unlawful deprivation of life, but a positive mandate on the State to ensure a safe environment where human life is preserved and valued,” the court said in its April 13 order.
The directions arose from a suo motu case following the deaths of 34 people in accidents in Phalodi, Rajasthan, and Rangareddy, Telangana, in November 2025, which exposed systemic negligence and catastrophic infrastructure failures.
Invoking Article 142, the court said no pecuniary or administrative constraint can outweigh the sanctity of human life and stressed strict timelines. It directed that no heavy or commercial vehicle shall park or stop on any national highway carriageway or paved shoulder except at designated bays, lay-byes or wayside amenities.
Enforcement will be ensured through Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) alerts, GPS-based timestamped photographic evidence and integrated e-challan generation.
Officials of NHAI, state police and transport departments have been directed to comply within 60 days, with district magistrates tasked to frame standard operating procedures for inspections and patrolling. The court also ordered an immediate prohibition on construction or operation of new dhabas, eateries or commercial structures within the Right of Way of national highways.
District magistrates must remove all unauthorised structures within 60 days as per the CNH Act procedure and SOP dated August 7, 2025.
Further, no authority shall grant or renew licences, NOCs or approvals within highway safety zones without prior NHAI or PWD clearance, and existing licences must be reviewed within 30 days. The court directed constitution of district highway safety task forces comprising officials from administration, police, NHAI, PWD and local bodies within stipulated timelines.
It also mandated surveillance, patrolling, monitoring of illegal parking, operationalisation of ATMS with cameras and speed detectors, emergency response systems, truck lay-bye facilities, improved lighting, identification of blackspots and institutional coordination. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has been directed to file a compliance report within 75 days. The matter has been posted for review after two months.