Supreme Court raises concerns about highways becoming death traps during winter

The Supreme Court on Monday (December 15, 2025) drew the attention of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to the fact that the dark months of winter, lack of streetlights along long stretches, and vehicles parked haphazardly along the tarmac invite tragedy and loss of lives, like in the recent horrific accidents on highways in Telangana and Rajasthan claiming nearly 40 lives, many of them children.

A Bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi did not appear happy with an affidavit filed by the NHAI in response to the Court’s questions about why Indian roads continue to be such killers. Justice Maheshwari said that the affidavit blamed the local and police administrations, while the Court did not want to treat the suo motu case as an adverse litigation, but only wanted solutions to the problem.

“The NHAI is just throwing mud at police and local authorities. We want to know about the powers of the NHAI and the corresponding action it can take if the administration is not doing anything,” the Bench submitted.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre and the NHAI, assured the Court that study the statutory scheme and respond to the Court. The Bench said illegal dhabas dot the highways, prompting drivers to park carelessly on the edges of highways. “It gets worse during the winter,” said Justice Bishnoi, referring to poor visibility on the roads.

The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the tragic highway accident in Rajasthan’s Phalodi, which killed 15 people, when a tempo traveller rammed into a truck parked in front of an eatery at the Bharatmala highway on November 2, 2025. The tempo was carrying women and children from Jodhpur, who had gone on a pilgrimage to Bikaner.

The very next day, 19 people, including a three-month-old girl, were killed when a lorry collided head-on with a bus while swerving to avoid a pothole on NH 163 (Hyderabad-Bijapur) on November 3.