Lucknow: Raising serious concerns over the alarming rise in road fatalities across India, senior advocate and Supreme Court lawyer Dr. Ajay Kummar Pandey has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking urgent intervention to address what he describes as a growing public safety and human rights crisis.

Dr. Pandey stated that the recent tragic death of Prabhat Singh, nephew of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a road accident has once again exposed the harsh reality of India's unsafe roads. According to him, if even members of influential and well-protected families are falling victim to road accidents, the vulnerability of ordinary citizens is self-evident.

Referring to official data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Dr. Pandey noted that India continues to record one of the highest numbers of road accident fatalities in the world. Uttar Pradesh remains among the worst-affected states, with thousands of lives being lost every year due to road crashes.
"This is no longer merely a traffic management issue. It is a direct challenge to the Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India," Dr. Pandey said.
In his representations to the State and Central Governments, he has demanded an independent technical audit of accident-prone stretches and identified black spots on national and state highways. He has also called for fixing accountability on officials, contractors, and agencies responsible for road engineering failures, poor maintenance, and administrative negligence.

Dr. Pandey further alleged that in several instances, citizens, social activists, and community leaders raising legitimate road safety concerns have faced harassment, intimidation, or retaliatory actions instead of receiving meaningful responses from the authorities.

"A citizen demanding safer roads is not opposing the government; he is asserting his constitutional right to life and safety," he emphasized.

A separate representation has also been submitted to the National Human Rights Commission, urging it to take suo motu cognizance of the issue. Dr. Pandey argued that preventable deaths caused by unsafe road infrastructure, defective road design, and administrative inaction constitute a serious human rights concern requiring immediate national attention.

He has requested the NHRC to seek reports from State Governments, conduct a comprehensive review of accident-prone locations, and issue recommendations aimed at protecting citizens' right to safe mobility.

Dr. Pandey has also urged the Government of India to establish a transparent accountability framework for road safety and to ensure that recurring accident black spots are rectified within a fixed timeline.

Significantly, he has cautioned that if effective and time-bound action is not initiated by the concerned authorities, he would be compelled to seek judicial intervention before the Supreme Court of India through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking comprehensive directions on road safety, accountability, and protection of citizens' constitutional rights.
"The loss of life on our roads is not an inevitable consequence of modern transportation. In many cases, these deaths are preventable. Every life lost due to administrative negligence is a matter of public concern and constitutional accountability," Dr. Pandey said.

He has appealed to citizens, civil society organizations, legal professionals, road safety experts, and public representatives across the country to join a broader movement for safer roads and stronger accountability mechanisms.