The Allahabad High Court on Friday took suo motu cognisance of a news report on the death of nine passengers in a fire that broke out in a sleeper bus on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida on September 24, and sought a detailed report from the Uttar Pradesh government on safety checks and permits for such buses.
“It appears that AC sleeper buses are operating without proper check and without proper safeguards, such as fire extinguishers, etc. It also appears that drivers and conductors of buses are not trained to act responsibly in any such mishappenings,” the court observed. The court sought details of border checkpoints and night inspections, including whether officials check fire extinguishers and emergency exits, and verify the training of drivers and conductors. It also sought details of criminal action and outcomes in similar accidents over the past three years.
The court referred to news reports and Rajya Sabha data, showing 45 bus fire incidents between January 2023 and December 10, 2025, which caused 64 deaths and 145 injuries across India. It also cited three previous incidents in UP: a July 2023 fire on the Rae Bareli-Prayagraj-Lucknow highway that killed three, a November 2024 fire on the Kannauj-Lucknow-Agra expressway that killed four, and a December 2025 fire on the Yamuna Expressway that killed 13.
