Supreme Court Flags Highway Encroachments, Asks NHAI Why CCTV Cannot Be Installed At Toll Plazas
New Delhi, September 3, 2026: The Supreme Court on Thursday flagged encroachments and stationary vehicles on highways as major road safety concerns and asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) why camera surveillance systems and monitoring rooms cannot be installed at toll plazas. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta raised the issue while hearing a suo motu case…
The Supreme Court recently drew attention to highway encroachments and stationary vehicles as serious road safety issues. During a hearing on a road accident case in Rajasthan, Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta queried the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) about the absence of CCTV cameras and monitoring rooms at toll plazas.
The court highlighted that these surveillance systems could enhance highway safety by keeping a closer eye on illegal parking, which is a significant contributing factor to road accidents. The NHAI explained that it had issued directives for regular inspections and patrols to curb unauthorized parking. However, the bench noted that the Ministries of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Tamil Nadu government had yet to submit their compliance affidavits.
The court extended the timeline to two weeks for these ministries to file their responses. The incident that prompted the Supreme Court's intervention was a road accident in Phalodi, Rajasthan, which claimed 15 lives in November 2025. The case has now been postponed until October 6, with the Tamil Nadu government required to file its affidavit before the next hearing.
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