Buses, cabs and other public vehicles that carry passengers have a tracking device and a panic button. If a passenger presses the panic button, an alert with the location of the vehicle reaches the monitoring centre of the State and the response system for emergencies. File
| Photo Credit: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (September 29, 2026) issued a notice to Maharashtra, seeking the State’s reply to a petition that links the installation of Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTDs) to the issue of women’s safety. The petition alleged that Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) are registering buses, cabs, autorickshaws and others public vehicles to carry passengers even without the devices.
A Division Bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata asked the State to file a reply within 14 days. The matter may be listed after the said duration.
Om Auto Tech, a distributor of Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTDs) that meet AIS-140, filed the petition.
Atal Dubey, counsel for the petitioner, said the Union Government set up the Nirbhaya Fund after a gang rape in Delhi in December 2012. A project under the fund tracks vehicles that carry passengers, he said. Each bus, cab and vehicle that carries passengers has a tracking device and a panic button. If a passenger presses the panic button, an alert with the location of the vehicle reaches the monitoring centre of the State and the response system for emergencies. Help can be then sent.
Elaborating on the system, Mr. Dubey said the device can protect a passenger if it is operational inside the vehicle and if records of the Government link it to the vehicle. If either condition fails, the panic button connects to nothing, he stated. This affects women who travel in these vehicles and press the panic button in a situation of distress, he added.
The petition further said it noticed from June 2025 that RTOs registered vehicles without installation of a VLTD. It said authorities renewed vehicles without verifying installation or operation of the VLTD. The petitioner told the Transport Commissioner who then issued directives in July and August 2025 for compliance with installation of VLTD. However, the RTOs flouted the condition, the petition said.
The petition said officers of RTOs under the Transport Department acted in violation of the Motor Vehicles framework. They approved and registered at least 10 vehicles without verifying the presence and condition of a VLTD that meets AIS-140. They renewed fitness certificates of vehicles without ensuring the validity and operation status of the devices. The actions defeated the regime for safety, obstructed the business of the petitioner, and undermined the framework of regulation, the plea said.
The petition said rule 125H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, after an amendment on October 25, 2018, mandates installation of the VLTD. It sought a direction to the respondents to implement the mandate.
It also sought action against officers who approved registration and renewal of vehicles that carry passengers without verifying installation of the VLTD.
Published – October 01, 2026 11:39 am IST
