'No fuel for uninsured vehicles' | SC orders tech-driven pilot crackdown across India

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to work out a pilot project under which uninsured vehicles could be denied fuel at petrol pumps. The Court said the proposal should be examined as part of a broader strategy to improve compliance with mandatory motor insurance requirements and ensure better protection for road accident victims.

Technology-driven enforcement

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra also ordered the creation of a technology-based enforcement mechanism to automatically detect uninsured vehicles and initiate penal action against their owners. The Court directed authorities to integrate Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras with insurance databases so that uninsured vehicles can be identified in real time and electronic challans generated automatically.

Real-time insurance checks

To strengthen enforcement on the ground, the Bench also called for traffic police personnel to be equipped with handheld devices capable of instantly verifying the insurance status of vehicles during inspections. The Court said such measures would improve compliance while reducing dependence on manual verification.

Measures to protect accident victims

In addition, the Supreme Court recommended extending the mandatory tenure of third-party insurance for newly registered vehicles. It also stressed the need for the speedy disposal of long-pending motor accident compensation cases to ensure that victims and their families receive timely financial relief. Describing the issue as one of significant public importance, the Court issued the directions as part of a comprehensive effort to address the large number of uninsured vehicles on Indian roads and strengthen the framework for compensating victims of road accidents.