Kerala High Court Orders Accident Vehicle Modification Records Upload on Portal

The Kerala High Court has ordered the State Transport Commissioner to make sure that details, photos, and videos of vehicle modifications in accident cases are uploaded onto the e-Detailed Accidents Report Portal.

Court Directives

A Division Bench consisting of Justices Anil K. Narendran and S. Muralee Krishna ruled that the inspecting officer must upload these records whenever a vehicle breaks safety standards that lead to penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act. The uploaded information must cover any illegal changes made to boost engine power or performance, along with alterations to the factory braking system.

Technical Issues

During the hearings, the Transport Commissioner told the bench about a software bug that caused uploaded photos to show up online while remaining missing from printed paper copies of the report. The issue was officially reported to the National Informatics Centre, which the court has now added as a party to the ongoing legal proceedings. The Commissioner also noted that authorities requested a photo-upload feature on the VAHAN portal for regional transport offices following earlier court orders.

Context

Illegal vehicle alterations are a major safety concern on Indian roads because modifications that increase speed or bypass standard brakes often lead to severe crashes. Courts frequently use suo motu cases to push transport departments and tech agencies to fix software gaps and enforce road safety laws more strictly.