Supreme Court hears appeal to enforce the provisions of Section 136A for road safety

On January 6, 2023, the Supreme Court of India hears an appeal regarding the enforcement of the provisions of Section 136A. The provisions include electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety on state highways, roads, national highways, or in urban cities within the state. The rules here were framed by the Central Government which came into force on August 11, 2021.
An Act, the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, was amended by Act 32 of 2019 for incorporating the provisions of Section 136A. Along with this, Sections 215A and 215B were also incorporated whereas Section 215 was focused on setting up Road Safety Councils and Committees at district, state, and national levels. Section 215A empowers the State and Central Government to delegate their functions and Section 215B provides for the constitution of the National Road Safety Board which has an advisory capacity.

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While hearing S. Rajaseekaran vs Union of India case, the Supreme Court ordered that it would be effective if the Chairperson of the Committee, Justice AM Sapre, conduct a meeting with the Secretary in the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, Amicus Curiae (Mr. Gaurav Agarwal) and Solicitor General. The meeting should be conducted within two weeks to present an appropriate solution before the Court for implementing the provisions of Section 136A. It has been determined that the Ministry has introduced various advanced methods for managing road safety. One such method was the development of the Integrated Road Accident Database system that helps in managing, reporting, and analysing the data regarding road accidents for enhancing road safety. 
The consensus that emerged during the course of the meeting was suggested to be reported back to the Court by the Amicus Curiae. This would initiate the enforcement of the provisions of Section 136A to each state. A further hearing of the case will be done on February 6, 2023. 

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