In a packed courtroom at Ernakulam, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday raised serious concerns about widespread road-safety violations, particularly the use of dazzling LED headlights, red-blue strobe lights, hooters, and unsafe bus interior modifications. The bench, hearing a suo motu matter, also took note of vloggers freely filming inside driver cabins of moving vehicles-an issue that judges felt has gone “completely unchecked” for months.
Background
The case has been before the court for several months, starting as a suo motu action aimed at enforcing motor-vehicle safety standards under AIS-008 (lighting requirements) and AIS-052 (bus body design). On Wednesday, the Union Government’s counsel submitted the relevant codes and amendments, complying with an earlier direction issued on November 5.
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A key trigger for the case is the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in S. Rajaseekaran v. Union of India (2025), which had highlighted dangers caused by high-intensity headlights and misuse of red-blue emergency lights. The Kerala High Court relied extensively on paragraphs 33, 34, and 35.15 of the Supreme Court’s reasoning, quoting the apex court’s clear warning that such lighting causes “temporary visual disorientation” and increases the likelihood of crashes.
Court’s Observations
During Wednesday’s hearing, the bench-Justices Anil K. Narendran and Muralee Krishna S.-expressed visible concern over rising instances of modified contract carriages, especially tourist buses fitted with DJ lighting, laser systems, multi-colour LEDs, and high-power music units.
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The judges noted that many such vehicles host YouTube vloggers who livestream or shoot promotional videos from inside the driver cabin. “The bench observed, ‘It appears that safety norms are being openly flouted, and such violations are now proudly circulated on social media.’”
What troubled the court further was the installation of additional batteries, inverters, and power units inside the luggage compartments of commercial buses. These are not approved under AIS-052 standards and pose obvious safety risks, especially during long-distance journeys at night.
The judges also pointed out that these violations were not rare or occasional. “The rampant use of such vehicles on public places is evident from promotional videos posted online,” the court noted, hinting that authorities may need to strengthen on-ground enforcement rather than relying solely on periodic drives.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s directives, the bench reminded authorities that the apex court had ordered a “complete ban” on unauthorized red-blue strobe lights and illegal hooters, along with strict checks during pollution and fitness inspections.
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Decision
At this stage, the High Court did not issue a final ruling but directed the State’s Special Government Pleader to obtain clear instructions from both the Transport Commissioner and the State Police Chief. The court wants to know whether any action has been initiated-
- to curb videography inside the driving cabin of moving vehicles, and
- to prevent contract carriages, stage carriages, and heavy goods vehicles from violating AIS-008 and AIS-052 standards.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on 21 November 2025, with the bench expecting a detailed compliance update from enforcement authorities. With that, the court concluded the day’s order.
Case Title: Suo Motu vs Union of India & Others (WP(C) Nos. 25158 & 25129 of 2024)
Court: Kerala High Court, Ernakulam Bench.
Bench: Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna S.
Next Hearing: 21 November 2025
