The Kerala High Court has directed the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) to include photographs and videos documenting unauthorised vehicle modifications in accident inspection reports uploaded to the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) portal.
The direction aims to strengthen road safety monitoring by ensuring that potentially dangerous alterations are properly documented whenever a modified vehicle is involved in an accident.
A Bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S issued the order on October 8 while hearing a suo motu case concerning road safety and unauthorised modifications to vehicles in Kerala.
The Court directed the Transport Commissioner to ensure that inspecting officers record details of vehicle modifications and upload supporting photographs and videos to the online portal.
The documentation must cover alterations that violate safety standards and could increase the risk of injury to people struck by a vehicle or coming into contact with its bodywork. Particular attention must be given to illegal engine modifications intended to boost performance and changes to braking systems.
Court flags gaps in accident inspection reports
The order followed instructions issued by the Transport Commissioner on September 17, directing transport officials to document modifications found during inspections of accident-involved vehicles.
Although the e-DAR portal already provides designated fields for recording such alterations and uploading visual evidence, the Court was informed that some inspecting officers had failed to upload photographs as required.
The Transport Commissioner subsequently instructed officials to ensure that colour photographs showing unauthorised modifications were uploaded during inspections.
A separate technical issue also came to light. While photographs uploaded to the portal could be viewed and downloaded online, they were not appearing in printed versions of the accident inspection reports.
The Court impleaded the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to address the problem and directed the State Police Chief to ensure compliance with its earlier road safety directions.
₹5,000 fine for each unauthorised modification
The latest order also reiterates the Court’s concern over vehicles fitted with excessively bright or prohibited lighting systems that can temporarily impair the vision of approaching drivers and pedestrians.
Unauthorised installations, including illegal LED lights, neon lights, laser lights and strobe lights, attract a fine of ₹5,000 for each modification, as specified in the Court’s earlier directions.
By requiring visual evidence alongside inspection findings, the Court has sought to make the reporting process more comprehensive and ensure that hazardous alterations do not go undocumented when accident cases are examined.