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NEW DELHI: Supreme Court Friday said courts had no business to get into determination of speed limits on roads, national highways and expressways, which are to be fixed by experts and notified by govt.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan set aside a Madras high court single judge’s order quashing the increased speed limit under a 2018 notification. The HC judge had asked the ministry of road transport to revert to the speed limit fixed in 2015. The speed limit was increased on expressways from 100 kmph to 120 kmph.
The HC judge had issued the directions in a case relating to a motor accident claim filed by the mother of a minor who was left 90% disabled after being hit by an over-speeding vehicle. The HC had increased the compensation from Rs 18 lakh awarded by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal to Rs 1.5 crore.
SC said it was not interfering with the order on compensation and noted that it was not even challenged by the Union govt, which has questioned the HC’s decision to reduce the speed limit. “For an unfortunate incident, courts cannot reduce the speed limit for vehicles on roads, NHs and expressways. We can’t slow down the country like this,” SC said.
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