Supreme Court Orders National Road Crash Data System

On 8 October 2026, the Supreme Court of India directed states to upload road-accident data promptly on the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) portal. It ordered the integration of eDAR with VAHAN, SARATHI and the Insurance Information Bureau (IIB) databases to create a digital record for each road crash and enable cross-verification of accident and insurance details.

Digital records for motor accident claims

The National Informatics Centre operates the eDAR portal to digitise detailed accident reports and facilitate motor-accident compensation claims. The Court directed all states to upload relevant accident data on the portal without delay. The integrated records are to include police accident reports, vehicle-registration details, driving-licence particulars, insurance coverage and claims history.

The Court’s directions were issued by a bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and P. B. Varale. The integration is to cover hit-and-run cases and the PM-RAHAT scheme, which provides cashless treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim for up to seven days after a road accident.

Functions of linked databases

VAHAN is the national vehicle-registration database, while SARATHI contains driving-licence information. The IIB, which functions under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), holds insurance-related data. Linking these databases with eDAR allows accident details to be checked against vehicle, driver, policy and previous-claim records.

Insurers have been directed in earlier proceedings to forward claims indicating possible fraud to state Special Investigation Teams (SITs). The Court also required insurers to examine possible involvement of their employees in fraudulent claims. States that have not established dedicated SITs received a final four-week period to do so.

Compliance and insurance oversight

The Centre, states and other authorities have four weeks from 8 October 2026 to complete the database integration and file compliance reports. The Court issued contempt show-cause notices to the heads of Navi General Insurance, The New India Assurance Company, Zuno General Insurance, General Insurance Corporation of India and Liberty General Insurance over compliance with earlier orders.

Important Facts for Exams

• The National Informatics Centre operates the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) portal.
• VAHAN contains vehicle-registration information, while SARATHI contains driving-licence information.
• The Insurance Information Bureau functions under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.
• PM-RAHAT provides cashless treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim for up to seven days after an accident.

The Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing in the matter for 27 November 2026.