Photographs, videos of modification details of vehicles involved in accidents must be uploaded on portal: Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court ordered transport officials to create a fuller digital record of vehicles involved in accidents. The record must cover vehicle modifications, photographs, and videos. It must also identify safety-standard violations that could attract punishment under the Motor Vehicles Act. This matters because modification evidence can help investigators understand a crash and identify unlawful changes.

The inspecting officer is responsible for uploading the information. The court specifically mentioned unauthorised alterations that increase engine horsepower or performance, along with changes to the original braking system. These details are added to the e-Detailed Accidents Report Portal, linking visual evidence with the inspection report.

The direction came from a Division Bench monitoring unauthorised vehicle modifications and accidents arising from them. The Transport Commissioner also reported a technical problem: online photographs did not appear on printed reports. The National Informatics Centre was asked to address that issue.

The e-Detailed Accidents Report Portal is a digital reporting system used to record information about vehicles involved in accidents. The article presents it as a place where inspecting officers upload modification details, photographs, videos, and safety violations. This creates a central record for officials examining how a vehicle’s condition may relate to an accident.

For example, an officer can document an unauthorised increase in engine horsepower or a change to the original braking system. The key mechanism is the upload of written details and visual evidence into the accident report. Those records can then support official scrutiny and help identify violations under the Motor Vehicles Act.

The article does not describe every portal function or provide a formal technical definition. It does report a major limitation: photographs were visible online but missing from printed reports. The Transport Commissioner notified the National Informatics Centre, while the court continued monitoring the issue.

The documentation must be broad enough to show both what was changed and how the vehicle appeared after an accident. The Kerala High Court directed officials to upload modification details, photographs, and videos. Inspecting officers must also include violations of safety standards that may attract punishment under the Motor Vehicles Act.

A concrete example is a vehicle with an unauthorised engine-performance increase and an altered original braking system. The officer should record those changes in writing and support the record with photographs and videos. The visual evidence gives investigators a clearer way to examine the vehicle’s condition and the alleged modifications.

The court did not set a fixed number of photographs or videos. It required the relevant details and visual material to be uploaded to the e-Detailed Accidents Report Portal. A technical glitch currently affects printed copies, because online photographs did not appear on hard-copy reports. The National Informatics Centre was informed.

The court specifically required officials to record modifications that may alter a vehicle’s safety and operating behaviour. These include unauthorised changes made to increase engine horsepower, changes intended to improve performance, and modifications to the vehicle’s original braking system. The inspecting officer must include such details in the accident report.

For example, an accident vehicle may have been fitted or adjusted to produce more power than intended by its original design. Its braking system may also have been changed. The reporting mechanism combines the officer’s written description with photographs and videos uploaded to the e-Detailed Accidents Report Portal. This preserves evidence for official examination.

The direction forms part of the High Court’s monitoring of unauthorised vehicle modifications and road accidents arising from them. The article does not list other specific modification categories. It does state that any violation of safety standards attracting punishment under the Motor Vehicles Act should also be recorded.

The article requires inspectors to record safety-standard violations that may attract punishment under the Motor Vehicles Act. It does not identify specific sections, rules, or standards. In general, vehicle regulations require important systems and alterations to comply with approved safety and construction requirements. Unauthorized changes may therefore be treated as violations when they affect the vehicle’s permitted design or safe operation.

The court gave two clear examples: an unauthorized increase in engine horsepower or performance, and a modification to the original braking system. Inspectors must document these changes, along with photographs and videos, when the vehicle has been involved in an accident. That evidence supports official examination of possible violations.

The legal consequences depend on the applicable Motor Vehicles Act provisions and related rules. The source does not specify the punishment or identify individual clauses. Its immediate requirement is procedural: the inspecting officer must upload the relevant safety violations and modification evidence to the accident-report portal.

Engine and braking changes can affect the balance between a vehicle’s power and its ability to slow safely. More engine power may increase acceleration and speed potential. If the braking system is not designed or adjusted for that change, stopping performance may become less predictable. These are established vehicle-safety concerns, although the article itself does not explain the engineering details.

For example, an unauthorised performance increase could make a vehicle harder to control in a sudden situation. A modified original braking system could provide weaker, uneven, or delayed braking. The court therefore requires inspectors to record both types of alteration, supported by photographs and videos, when the vehicle is involved in an accident.

The High Court is monitoring unauthorised modifications and road accidents arising from them. The source does not claim that every modification causes a crash or state a measured increase in risk. Its direction ensures that possible links between vehicle alterations, safety violations, and accidents are documented for official review.

The Transport Commissioner is the senior official directed by the Kerala High Court to ensure that accident-vehicle modification details are uploaded. The inspecting officer is the person responsible for entering the details, including safety violations, photographs, and videos. Regional Transport Offices and Sub-Regional Transport Offices are connected to a requested photo-upload facility on the VAHAN portal.

The article describes two related digital systems. The e-Detailed Accidents Report Portal receives accident inspection information. The VAHAN portal was the subject of a request to add photo uploading for transport offices, following earlier court directions. This would help officials record vehicle information and visual evidence through the relevant office system.

The Transport Commissioner told the court that photographs could be viewed online but did not appear in printed reports. The issue was formally communicated to the National Informatics Centre, which the court added as a party. The article does not state that the glitch has been fixed.