Supreme Court ने सार्वजनिक सेवा वाहनों में ट्रैकिंग डिवाइस और पैनिक बटन की अनिवार्य स्थापना का आदेश दिया

<h3>अवलोकन</h3> <p>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Supreme Court — India's apex judicial body, whose judgments shape public policy and are pivotal for GS2: Polity.">Supreme Court</span> has issued a landmark directive that no <span class="key-term" data-definition="Public service vehicle — any vehicle used for transporting passengers for hire, such as buses, taxis, and auto‑rickshaws; a key focus area in GS3: Infrastructure.">public service vehicle</span> can obtain a fitness certificate or a permit unless it is equipped with a <span class="key-term" data-definition="Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) — a GPS‑based device that continuously transmits a vehicle's position, enabling real‑time monitoring; crucial for road safety and governance (GS3: Infrastructure).">Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD)</span> and an <span class="key-term" data-definition="Emergency Panic Button — a handheld device that, when pressed, sends an instant distress signal to authorities, facilitating rapid emergency response; relevant to citizen safety (GS4: Ethics).">Emergency Panic Button</span>. The installation must be verified and reflected in the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Vahan database — the national vehicle registration and licensing portal managed by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways; a primary source of transport data for policy making (GS3: Infrastructure).">Vahan database</span>.</p> <h3>मुख्य विकास</h3> <ul> <li>All states and Union Territories must deny fitness certificates under <span class="key-term" data-definition="Section 56 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — provision governing issuance of fitness certificates for commercial vehicles (GS2: Polity).">Section 56</span> and permits under <span class="key-term" data-definition="Section 66 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — provision governing issuance of permits for public service vehicles (GS2: Polity).">Section 66</span> unless VLTDs and panic buttons are installed and recorded in the Vahan app.</li> <li>Retro‑fitting of VLTDs and panic buttons is mandated for all public service vehicles registered up to <strong>December 2018</strong>.</li> <li>The Court emphasized strict enforcement of <span class="key-term" data-definition="Rule 125H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 — rule that makes installation of tracking devices and panic buttons compulsory for passenger‑carrying vehicles (GS3: Infrastructure).">Rule 125H</span> in a time‑bound, verifiable manner.</li> <li>The Union government is directed to engage vehicle manufacturers to make these devices <em>pre‑fitted</em> as part of the production process, as suggested by the amicus.</li> </ul> <h3>महत्वपूर्ण तथ्य</h3> <p>• Current compliance is alarmingly low – less than <strong>1%</strong> of transport vehicles have the mandated devices installed. • The directive stems from the case <em>S Rajaseekaran v. Union of India</em>, where the Court examined measures to curb road‑accident fatalities.</p>