Nine passengers died when a sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway, and the Allahabad High Court issues notice to MoRTH, the authority the State points to for testing stations located outside Uttar Pradesh.
Prayagraj: A fire on a sleeper bus near Jewar on the Yamuna Expressway, on the intervening night of September 23 and 24, 2026, killed nine passengers and has now drawn the Centre into a suo motu case: the Allahabad High Court issues notice to MoRTH, through the Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways [In Re: Nine Dead As Bus Erupts In Flames On Yamuna E-Way].
Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery passed the order after perusing affidavits from the Director General of Police and the Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) of Uttar Pradesh, along with suggestions from Senior Advocate Tarun Agarwal, the amicus curiae assisting the Court. The next date is November 17.
Where the case started
Taking suo motu cognizance of the fire last month, the Court observed that air-conditioned sleeper buses appeared to be operating “without proper check and without proper safeguards, such as, fire extinguisher etc”. It looked at the Automotive Industry Standards on bus body design (AIS-052), sleeper coach specifications (AIS-119) and fire detection and suppression (AIS-135), which prescribe emergency exits, limits on vehicle height, automated fire suppression systems and driver drowsiness alerts. The State was asked to file affidavits on permits, inspections and preventive measures.
Stations outside the State’s reach
According to the State Transport Department’s affidavit, Automatic Testing Stations (ATS) are registered and run under MoRTH, so ATS facilities in other States lie outside the Uttar Pradesh Transport Department’s control. It said directions to MoRTH were needed to ensure strict compliance with AIS-119 and AIS-135. Noting the State’s request to implead MoRTH through its Secretary, the Court issued notice to the Secretary and directed that a copy of the entire case file be served on the Additional Solicitor General of India.
The Court also noted the enforcement figures for April to September 2026: 7,665 buses challaned and 1,008 impounded. It added that “still some more exercise is required”.
Permits and border checks, in the affidavit’s words
The affidavit records that the Uttar Pradesh Transport Department issued 252 sleeper bus permits in 2023, 340 in 2024, 610 in 2025 and 1,104 up to September 2026. Before an All India Tourist Permit is granted to a sleeper bus, the required standards are checked: the registering or inspecting officer examines the vehicle’s fitness and issues a fitness certificate with a validity period, and the permit application is cleared only if that certificate is valid. The State, the affidavit adds, has set up no static checking points on its borders and relies on surprise checking points and enforcement teams.
What the Court hopes to see
The Court voiced the hope that the State would consider the amicus curiae’s suggestions and put forward a “consolidated proposal so that unfortunate accidents may not be repeated”. Such a proposal, it said, should also cover “ways of checking modified buses”.
Case Title: In Re: Nine Dead As Bus Erupts In Flames On Yamuna E-Way (suo motu)
Bench: Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery, Allahabad High Court
Amicus Curiae: Senior Advocate Tarun Agarwal
Next hearing: November 17, 2026