JUDGMENT

KRISHNA IYER, J :—This petition for special leave under Art. 136 is by the truck driver whose lethal hands at the wheel of an heavy automobile has taken the life of a scooterist - a deadly spectacle becoming so common these days in our towns and cities. This is a case which is more a portent than an event and is symbolic of the callous yet tragic traffic chaos and treacherous unsafety of public transportation - the besetting sin of our highways which are more like fatal facilities than means of mobility. More people die of road accidents than by most diseases, so much so the Indian highways are among the top killers of the country. What will frequent complaints of the States misfeasance in the maintenance of roads in good trim, the absence of public interest litigation to call State transport to order, and the lack of citizens tort consciousness, and what with the neglect in legislating into law no fault liability and the induction on the roads of heavy duty vehicles beyond the capabilities of the highways system, Indian Transport is acquiring a menacing reputation which makes travel a tryst with death. It looks as if traffic regulations are virtually dead and police check