Bombay HC Issues Notice to Maharashtra Over Missing Vehicle Tracking Devices

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday, September 29, 2026, issued a notice to the Maharashtra government on a petition linking the mandatory installation of Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTDs) to women's safety. The plea alleged that Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across the state have been registering public vehicles, including buses, cabs, and autorickshaws, to carry passengers without verifying the presence of these safety devices.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata directed the State to file its reply within 14 days, after which the matter may be listed for hearing. The petition was moved by Om Auto Tech, a distributor of tracking devices that comply with AIS-140 standards.

Counsel for the petitioner, Atal Dubey, submitted that the tracking framework was introduced under the Nirbhaya Fund, established by the Union Government following the December 2012 gang rape in Delhi. Under the safety initiative, every passenger-carrying vehicle must be equipped with a tracking device and an emergency panic button. When pressed by a passenger in distress, the button transmits an alert with the vehicle's real-time location to the State monitoring centre and the emergency response system so assistance can be dispatched.

Dubey informed the bench that the system safeguards passengers only if the unit is functional inside the vehicle and properly linked to government records. If either requirement is unmet, the panic button fails to connect to authorities, directly endangering women travelling in distress.

The petitioner stated that RTOs were found registering and renewing commercial passenger vehicles without checking device installations starting in June 2025. While the Transport Commissioner issued compliance directives in July and August 2025 after being alerted by the petitioner, RTO officials continued to flout the conditions.

According to the plea, RTO personnel under the Transport Department approved registrations for at least 10 vehicles without confirming the presence and condition of AIS-140 compliant tracking units. They also renewed vehicle fitness certificates without checking operational status. Pointing out that Rule 125H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, amended on October 25, 2018, mandates these devices, the petitioner sought court directions to enforce the rule and take action against errant RTO officers.