On December 20, Acting Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Rajesh Sekhri of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court's division bench directed the UT Government to form a Committee of Experts to investigate the causes of repeated road accidents on the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar Road in the Chenab Valley region and to recommend measures to eliminate road accidents. The court has also ordered the government to install rolling barriers/steel pillars on curved roads and wherever culverts are discovered, and to file an Action Taken Report (ATR) by the next scheduled hearing date.

The orders followed a letter petition filed by social activist Asif Iqbal Butt requesting that the Court take suo-moto cognizance of the increasing number of road accidents in Chenab Valley's hilly terrain. The petitioner stated in his letter that the road circuits in the districts of Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban are in disrepair and require immediate attention. "Since the roads in the upper reaches are narrow and have a number of blind curves, the installation of rolling barriers is essential for alleviating the severity of the accidents", the letter said, adding "setting a robust road infrastructure, implementing the recommendations for road safety and ensuring strict compliance with the traffic rules are the need of the hour".

Acknowledging the gravity of the matter, the bench observed, "The letter raises concerns about Government agencies not taking adequate measures both long-term and short-term to prevent such unfortunate accidents. The issue highlighted in the letter is of serious nature in the public interest".

As a result, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, who was assisting the Division Bench in an earlier PIL, was appointed as Amicus Curiae and the matter was rescheduled for hearing on February 1, 2023.

Case Title: Intakhab Ahmad Qazi Vs State & Ors
Citation: WP(C) PIL No. 13/2022