The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 3, 2026) raised concerns over encroachments and stationary vehicles on highways and asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to consider setting up camera surveillance systems and monitoring rooms at toll plazas to address such hazards.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a suo motu case initiated in the wake of two fatal road accidents in November 2025 in Phalodi district of Rajasthan and Rangareddy district of Telangana, which together claimed 34 lives. In April, the top court, while issuing a slew of directions had held that the safety of highway users forms an integral part of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, and that the State has a positive obligation to prevent avoidable deaths caused by hazards such as illegal parking and accident-prone “blackspots”.
Circulars issued: NHAI
The counsel for the NHAI told the Bench that circulars had been issued requiring regular inspections and highway patrols to curb unauthorised parking.
The Bench, however, suggested the use of technology for more effective monitoring. “Why can’t you think of having a camera surveillance system? You can have monitoring rooms at all toll plazas,” the Bench said.
Senior advocate A.N.S. Nadkarni, assisting the court as amicus curiae, said vehicles parked illegally along highways remained a major safety concern and were a recurring cause of road accidents.
During the hearing, the Bench was also informed that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Tamil Nadu government were yet to file their compliance affidavits.
Two weeks time
The court granted two weeks for the two Ministries to file their affidavits and directed the Tamil Nadu government to place its response on record before the next hearing. The matter will be heard next on October 6.
In April, the top court had directed district magistrates to ensure the removal or demolition of all existing and newly detected unauthorised structures within highway safety zones within 60 days. It had also barred government departments, authorities and local bodies from granting or renewing licences, no-objection certificates or trade approvals for sites within such zones without prior clearance from the NHAI or the Public Works Department concerned.
The court had further directed the constitution of a District Highway Safety Task Force in every district to oversee compliance with its directions.
The suo motu proceedings followed two accidents on consecutive days in November 2025. On November 2, a tempo traveller carrying pilgrims from Jodhpur rammed into a truck parked outside an eatery along the Bharatmala highway in Phalodi, killing 15 people, including women and children.
A day later, 19 people, including a three-month-old girl, were killed in Rangareddy district when a lorry collided head-on with a bus on National Highway 163 while attempting to avoid a pothole.
