Delhi HC notice on plea for mandatory insurance for electric two-wheelers

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi government on a plea seeking directions for mandatory insurance for electric two-wheelers.

Seeking a response from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the city government, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla slated the matter for October 20.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by Rajat Kapoor through advocate R.K. Kapoor. sought the respondents to ensure insurance cover for two-wheeler electric vehicles under Section 146 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

"The demand for Electric Vehicles (EVS) is slowly gathering pace in India. Apart from being a green alternative to petrol and diesel vehicles, they can also be cheaper to run in the long term. As the EV market is still developing in India, prospective buyers may have concerns about where they can find suitable Electric Vehicle Insurance," read the plea.

Apart from insurance coverage, it also sought to ensure reliable and long-lasting batteries in the vehicle by the manufacturers in a way to avoid overheating and fire accidents.

The plea also sought safety guidelines to be ensured such as wearing helmets irrespective of the capacity of the vehicle.

In recent times, electric two-wheelers going up in smoke have become frequent. Electric two-wheeler makers like Okinawa, and Ola have recalled several of their vehicles.