Delhi HC Seeks Govt Reply on PIL Highlighting Unsafe and Speeding E-Rickshaws

CT Team 1 min read January 8, 2026 at 2:23 pm

The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government to respond to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) raising serious concerns about the growing number of speeding and unsafe e-rickshaws in the capital.

The PIL has been filed by Manish Parashar, whose eight-year-old daughter lost her life in August 2025 after being hit by a recklessly driven e-rickshaw. He has approached the Court seeking strict enforcement of safety rules to prevent such tragic incidents.

A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to the Delhi government, the Transport Department, Delhi Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The Court has directed all authorities to file their replies within eight weeks.

According to the petitioner, many e-rickshaws operating in Delhi are structurally unsafe, uninsured, and regularly violate traffic rules. He argued that despite the existence of clear regulations—such as the Central Motor Vehicles (Sixteenth Amendment) Rules, prescribed safety standards, and the E-Rickshaw Sewa Scheme, 2014—there is poor enforcement on the ground.

The petition states that unchecked violations by e-rickshaw operators have turned these vehicles into a serious threat to pedestrians and commuters. It further claims that repeated accidents and fatalities directly affect the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner also told the Court that he had approached the concerned authorities earlier but received no response, leaving him with no option but to seek judicial intervention.

Through the PIL, he has requested the Court to: