The Allahabad High Court has ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to enforce mandatory transport safety mechanisms across all educational institutions in the state, issuing directions to ensure the regular functioning of district-level monitoring panels and the immediate establishment of safety committees within individual schools.
A division bench comprising Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Brij Raj Singh at Lucknow also directed that the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations be added as respondents to the proceedings, bringing schools affiliated with national boards under the purview of state safety compliance.
The directives followed revelations during a court hearing that the majority of vans ferrying students operate without mandatory permits, while statutory school-level safety bodies remain entirely non-functional.
Absence Of Mandated Safety Bodies
Under the Uttar Pradesh Motor Vehicles Rules, vehicles ferrying students to public places must hold valid commercial permits. For school vans, regulations require an agreement executed between the institution and parents or parent groups, which must be lodged with transport authorities before permits can be granted.
State Transport Commissioner officials disclosed to the bench, however, that most school vans currently operate without obtaining the necessary clearances.
Furthermore, while the regulatory framework mandates the formation of district school vehicle safety committees—chaired by district magistrates and composed of interdepartmental officials alongside transport sector delegates—as well as dedicated safety committees within every school, the bench was notified that no educational institution in the state currently maintains an active panel.
One-Month Deadline For Compliance
Addressing the lapses, the high court instructed the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary to issue directions ensuring that district vehicle safety committees convene on a routine basis and actively oversee the establishment and operation of school-level transport bodies.
District magistrates statewide have been instructed to supervise the process, guarantee that the assigned safety obligations are fulfilled, and submit comprehensive compliance details within one month. Upon receiving the district-level submissions, the state’s legal counsel must present a consolidated compliance affidavit before the bench.
The orders were passed on Thursday during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition instituted by Giridhar Gopal, secretary of the Gomti River Bank Residents Association. The high court will take up the matter for its next hearing on September 28.
