Gr Noida bus fire: SC asks how the bus kept plying despite due fines

Days after a fire in a moving bus near Greater Noida killed nine people, the Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government on how a vehicle with a history of traffic violations and around ₹1

Days after a fire in a moving bus near Greater Noida killed nine people, the Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government on how a vehicle with a history of traffic violations and around ₹1.75 lakh in unpaid challans continued to operate across states, raising concerns over passenger safety and enforcement.

The accident took place on the Yamuna Expressway near Jewar in Greater Noida. (HT)

A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan directed the UP chief secretary and the secretary, ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), to respond on the action taken against the bus driver and registered owner.

“We direct the chief secretary of UP and the secretary, ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) to file a response indicating what steps have been taken against the bus driver and the registered owner of the bus,” the bench said.

The order was passed on an application by advocate Kishan Chand Jain in a public interest litigation concerning road safety. Jain told the court that the September 23 accident involving a double-decker bus highlighted how repeat traffic offenders could continue operating on roads despite outstanding penalties.

According to Jain, the sleeper bus operated by Raj Kalpana Travels was travelling from Delhi to Mahoba and had prior challans carrying outstanding fines of around ₹1.75 lakh. “If correct, this means that a vehicle repeatedly found in violation continued to ply an inter-state route at night with passengers asleep, without its permit or fitness being suspended,” his application stated.

Taking note of the issue, the bench asked whether the driver and owner had been arrested and whether the owner had complied with all rules before operating the double-decker. The court will hear the matter after two months.

The accident took place on the Yamuna Expressway near Jewar in Greater Noida. More than 30 people were on board, according to the complaint filed with police.

One passenger had reportedly noticed a burning smell coming from the driver’s cabin and asked the driver and conductor to stop the vehicle. However, according to the complaint, the warnings were ignored as the two continued smoking inside the cabin and dismissed the passenger’s concerns. Shortly afterwards, flames appeared near the driver’s seat and spread rapidly through the bus, killing nine people and leaving several others with serious burn injuries.

Jain said the application sought measures to prevent similar incidents and raised concerns over the absence of effective emergency escape mechanisms. “The lives at risk are those of ordinary men, women, children and elderly persons who place their trust in vehicles certified and permitted by the state. Their right to a safe journey forms part of the protection of life under Article 21 of the Constitution,” he said.

The application also highlighted the wider incidence of fires involving buses. According to a MoRTH reply to Parliament in December 2025, data on the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) portal showed 45 incidents of buses catching fire while in operation between 2023 and December 10, 2025. These incidents resulted in 64 deaths and 145 injuries.