Firefighters at the site after a sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in the Greater Noida area, killing nine passengers, in Noida on Thursday
Referring to media reports, the court noted data presented in the Rajya Sabha showing 45 bus fire incidents across India between Jan 2023 and Dec 10, 2025. These incidents resulted in 64 deaths and 145 injuries. The court also cited previous incidents in Uttar Pradesh, including a bus fire on the Rae Bareli-Prayagraj-Lucknow highway in July 2023 that claimed three lives, a Nov 2024 incident on the Kannauj-Lucknow-Agra Expressway in which four people died, and a Dec 2025 accident on the Yamuna Expressway that killed 13 passengers.
It also said govt may consider banning buses operated by such licensees. The court further sought details of border check-post inspections, night-time enforcement drives and whether transport inspectors record passenger statements, check fire extinguishers, verify awareness of emergency exits and ensure that drivers and conductors receive adequate safety training. During the hearing, the chief secretary, director general of police and additional chief secretary (transport) appeared via video conferencing and briefed the court on the accidents and the action taken by govt. The court further remarked that air-conditioned sleeper buses appeared to be operating without adequate safety measures, including functional fire extinguishers, and that drivers and conductors might not be sufficiently trained to respond to emergencies. The bench directed authorities to take action against the driver, conductor and licensee if the bus involved in the latest incident is found to have violated regulations.
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the death of nine passengers in a sleeper bus fire on the Yamuna Expressway in the Noida-Greater Noida area and sought detailed information from Uttar Pradesh govt on permits, safety standards and inspections of sleeper buses operating in the state.