New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked why can’t the National Highways Authority of India have an electronic surveillance mechanism to immediately track stationary or parked vehicles on highways.
The observation came from a bench of justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta which was hearing a suo motu case related to a November 2025 road accident in Rajasthan’s Phalodi area that claimed 15 lives. The top court posted the matter for October 13 and said it would deal with the applications concerning removal of encroachments from the highways. In November last year, the top court took suo motu cognisance of the November 2 road accident in Phalodi in which a tempo traveller rammed into a stationary trailer truck. On April 13, the top court issued a slew of interim directions, including that no heavy or commercial vehicle shall park or stop on any national highway carriageway or paved shoulder except at a designated bay, lay-bye or wayside amenity.
the apex court had flagged the issue of encroachment and stationary vehicles on the highways While hearing the matter in September. The top court had directed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways/NHAI to identify accident blackspots and critical areas and publish a comprehensive list of accident blackspots on national highways. Senior advocate A N S Nadkarni, who is assisting the top court as amicus curiae in the matter, referred to some recent road accidents caused due to parking of vehicles on highways.
