Supreme Court questions NHAI's lack of electronic tracking for parked vehicles on highways
The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned why the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) cannot deploy electronic surveillance mechanisms to immediately track stationary or parked vehicles on highways. A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta raised the concern while hearing a suo motu case related to a November 2025 road accident in Rajasthan's Phalodi area that claimed 15 lives. Senior advocate A N S Nadkarni, assisting the court as amicus curiae, referred to recent road accidents caused due to vehicles parked on highways.
"Why can't the NHAI, which has got all the resources with it, have some kind of an electronic surveillance mechanism by which any vehicle found stationary or parked on the highways be immediately tracked," the bench observed. The court was informed that the NHAI conducts patrolling on highways. The amicus had previously noted that illegal parking of vehicles on highways is a major issue leading to road accidents. During an earlier hearing in September, the apex court had flagged concerns about encroachment and stationary vehicles on highways. The NHAI's counsel had then stated they issued circulars for regular inspection and patrolling to check unauthorised parking.
The suo motu case originated from the November 2, 2025 accident in Phalodi near Matoda village on the Bharat Mala Highway, where a tempo traveller rammed into a stationary trailer truck. The bench posted the matter for October 13 to deal with interlocutory applications concerning removal of encroachments from highways.
