The Supreme Court has sought an affidavit from the Uttar Pradesh government on the action taken against the driver and registered owner of the sleeper bus whose fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida killed nine passengers last month, including whether those responsible have been arrested and whether the bus met all safety and regulatory requirements.
It also specifically asked whether the registered owner had complied with all rules and regulations before putting the double-decker bus on the road. It has also sought details of the working condition of emergency exits and safety devices, the challan and violation history of the vehicle, operator and driver, the response time of police, fire, ambulance and expressway authorities, and action taken against those responsible. An FIR based on a passenger’s complaint alleged that the driver and conductor failed to stop despite warnings. Those allegations are part of the investigation. Two bus drivers and a conductor were later arrested. The incident also raised questions about the vehicle’s regulatory history. Among the other proposed measures are a uniform national checklist for physical inspection of sleeper and double-decker buses, covering emergency exits, fire detection and suppression systems, electrical and air-conditioning wiring, tyres, brakes, approved berth layouts and the validity of fitness, permits and insurance. The application has also sought risk-based inspection of sleeper and double-decker buses, suspension of registration or permits of vehicles failing critical safety requirements, and technical standards linking vehicle-location tracking devices with speed limiters, route monitoring and smoke and fire detectors. For expressways, the application proposes risk-based fire and rescue plans, including deployment of fire tenders, ambulances and rescue equipment, periodic night drills and publication of actual response times. It has also sought a review of older sleeper and double-decker buses, including the possibility of retrofitting or phased withdrawal where necessary.
Records further showed multiple traffic fines amounting to about ₹ 1.75 lakh. It has further sought mandatory crew fire-response training, pre-departure passenger safety briefings, digital passenger manifests and integration of emergency buttons with the 112 emergency response system and highway control rooms.
The bench, taking up the application after the September 23/24 incident in which nine passengers were charred to death inside the bus, said it wanted to know what steps had been taken against the driver as well as the registered owner and “whether they have been arrested so far”. Police and survivors said some passengers had noticed a burning smell coming from the driver’s cabin shortly before the fire. Police said that the bus was registered in Bihar, while its owner was from Madhya Pradesh; its fitness certificate had been issued in Rajasthan and its pollution certificate in Haryana.
