Today, On 9th April, The Supreme Court criticized the Centre for the delay in implementing a scheme to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims. The court expressed concern over the government’s slow response despite earlier directions. It emphasized the urgent need for such a welfare measure. The Centre has been asked to file a detailed response on the matter.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court criticized the Centre on Wednesday for the delay in creating a scheme for cashless medical treatment for motor accident victims and summoned the secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport to explain the situation.
A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed concern that, despite its order on January 8, the Centre had failed to comply.
The bench stated,
“The time granted has expired on March 15, 2025. This is a serious breach and violation of not only orders of this court but a violation of implementing a very beneficial legislation. We direct the secretary, ministry of road transport and highways to appear on video-conferencing and explain why the directions of this court were not complied with,”
Additional Solicitor General Vikramjeet Banerjee, representing the Centre, mentioned that they were facing “bottle necks.”
However, the bench responded,
“This is your own legislation, people are losing lives because there is no facility for cashless treatment. This is for the benefit of common people. We are putting you to notice, we’ll take action under contempt. Ask your secretary to come and explain.”
The court has ordered the official to appear on April 28 for clarification.
On January 8, the Supreme Court instructed the Centre to formulate a scheme for cashless medical treatment for motor accident victims within the critical “golden hour” period as mandated by law.
The court referenced Section 162(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and required the government to provide the scheme by March 14, emphasizing that timely medical care could save many lives.
The “golden hour”, as defined under Section 2(12-A) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, refers to:
“The time period lasting one hour following a traumatic injury during which there is the highest likelihood of preventing death by providing prompt medical treatment.”
This legal provision highlights the critical importance of immediate medical care after a road accident. The Supreme Court has emphasized this in multiple rulings, urging the government to ensure timely intervention particularly through a cashless treatment scheme to save lives during this crucial window.
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