Photo Credit : India Today
The Supreme Court (Apex Court) on April 9 slammed to the Centre and summoned the Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for failing to frame a scheme for the cashless treatment of road accident victims during the “golden hour” the first hour of an accident.
As per Section 162(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act-1988, this facility is mandatory for road accident victims. The Apex Court stated that the Central Government and the concerned department must implement this scheme, as there is a serious breach of previous court orders.
This facility must be provided to road accident victims in hospitals, ensuring cashless treatment during the golden hour.
This directive was originally issued by the Supreme Court on January 8, 2025, ordering the Centre to implement the cashless treatment scheme. However, until now, no proper scheme has been framed or implemented.
Due to this lack of implementation, many people are losing their lives because they are not receiving timely medical attention during the golden hour.
The Supreme Court also directed the Secretary of the Transport Department to issue written instructions to State Magistrates to upload hit-and-run cases to the General Insurance Council (GIC) portal.
On January 8, the top court directed the Centre to formulate the scheme for the cashless medical treatment of motor accident victims during the legally mandated golden hour period.
The court further noted that 921 claims under the hit-and-run compensation scheme remained pending as of July 31, 2024, due to document deficiencies. It asked the GIC to coordinate with the claimants and address these issues. Also read: DriveSafe
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