Irdai told to draw up plan to make 3rd-party cover must for fuel purchase

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) to draw up a pilot project in consultation with the roads ministry to make valid third-party vehicle insurance compulsory for purchasing fuel at pumps.

It also ordered that all new four-wheeled vehicles sold in the country from September must have four years of third-party insurance coverage, compared with three now. For two-wheelers, the initial third-party coverage period must be six years, instead of five now.

While passing a slew of directions aimed at enhancing road safety, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra asked the regulator to immediately issue directions on extending the initial third-party cover period.


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Eight years after the apex court made third-party insurance with a timeline compulsory, a large number of vehicles still remain uninsured, the judges noted.

There is no uniform mechanism in place with state police to verify insurance status on the ground, the judges said, and ordered that police be provided with handheld devices or downloadable applications linked with the Insurance Information Bureau and VAHAN portal to access the data in real time. The bench also said automatic number plate recognition cameras deployed on roads be integrated with the insurance information bureau database and the VAHAN portal.

Noting Irdai's suggestions, the SC said for private vehicles, a broad four-layer structure is to be implemented to provide clarity on various policy options. Third-party insurance will be base policy, whose pricing will be fixed by a consultative process between regulator and the Centre, it said. There will be optional cover for pillion rider or occupants in a vehicle that will come with an extra premium, which will be determined by insurance companies, as per judgement.