अवलोकन
The Supreme Court has issued a landmark directive that no public service vehicle can obtain a fitness certificate or a permit unless it is equipped with a Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) and an Emergency Panic Button. The installation must be verified and reflected in the Vahan database.
मुख्य विकास
- All states and Union Territories must deny fitness certificates under Section 56 and permits under Section 66 unless VLTDs and panic buttons are installed and recorded in the Vahan app.
- Retro‑fitting of VLTDs and panic buttons is mandated for all public service vehicles registered up to December 2018.
- The Court emphasized strict enforcement of Rule 125H in a time‑bound, verifiable manner.
- The Union government is directed to engage vehicle manufacturers to make these devices pre‑fitted as part of the production process, as suggested by the amicus.
महत्वपूर्ण तथ्य
• Current compliance is alarmingly low – less than 1% of transport vehicles have the mandated devices installed. • The directive stems from the case S Rajaseekaran v. Union of India, where the Court examined measures to curb road‑accident fatalities.