The Kerala High Court has directed the state transport commissioner to ensure that colour photographs and videos of illegal vehicle modifications are uploaded to e-DAR accident reports, strengthening the evidence available in road-crash investigations and related proceedings.
A bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and S Muralee Krishna issued the direction in a suo motu petition initiated by the court over unauthorised vehicle modifications. The court said accident reports prepared by inspecting officers must record modifications that violate safety standards and could increase the risk or severity of bodily injury during a collision.
The directions cover alterations that may expose a person to injury from a vehicle’s bodywork or from brushing against it in a crash. The reports must also identify unauthorised changes intended to increase a vehicle’s engine horsepower or performance, along with modifications to the braking system supplied by the manufacturer.
The court’s direction places greater emphasis on documenting the physical condition of vehicles involved in accidents rather than relying only on written descriptions. Photographs and videos uploaded to the electronic Detailed Accident Report, or e-DAR, portal are intended to form part of the accident documentation prepared by authorities.
The transport commissioner informed the court of a technical problem affecting printed copies of the reports. Although photographs had been uploaded to the e-DAR portal, they were not appearing when the reports were printed. In response, the court suo motu impleaded the National Informatics Centre, or NIC, and directed it to address the issue.
The printing problem has an operational impact because accident reports may be used in proceedings where the condition of a vehicle and the nature of its modifications are relevant. The court’s order seeks to ensure that visual evidence remains available in the report record and is not lost when digital documents are converted into printed copies.
The High Court also directed the state police chief to ensure compliance with its earlier directions concerning road safety and vehicle modifications. The latest order therefore involves both transport and police authorities, linking vehicle inspection, accident reporting and enforcement responsibilities.
The directions come as the court continues to examine the safety implications of unauthorised alterations to vehicles. Under the order, inspecting officers must record violations that affect collision safety, engine performance or braking systems, and upload supporting photographs and videos to the e-DAR portal.
The matter has been adjourned to October 28. The court is expected to review compliance with its directions, including the steps taken by NIC to resolve the problem with photographs in printed accident reports and the implementation of the earlier road-safety instructions.
