The Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded the Centre for not implementing a cashless medical treatment scheme aimed at providing emergency assistance during the crucial "golden hour" — the first 60 minutes following a serious road accident.

The apex court had previously set a deadline of March 14 for the rollout of the scheme.

"Time granted to the government expired on March 14... this is a very serious breach and violation of an order of this court and failure to implement a very beneficial provision," the top court observed.

The Bench, comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, summoned senior government officials, including the Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, directing them to appear on April 28 and explain the "default."

Justice Oka remarked, "It has been our long experience. Only when we get top government officials here do they take the orders of the court seriously. Otherwise they won't take it."

"We are making it very clear. We will issue a notice of contempt if we find that no progress is made. People are losing their lives because there is no treatment," he added.

 In January, the top court had instructed the government to devise a framework for immediate medical assistance for road accident victims, with emphasis on the golden hour and situations where the injured may lack support from family or acquaintances to bear the treatment expenses.

The Bench pointed out that delays often occur because bystanders, law enforcement, and even medical institutions hesitate to act, especially when high treatment costs are involved. This inaction, the court said, jeopardises lives.

It also highlighted that Section 162(2) of the amended Motor Vehicles Act obligates insurance providers to offer cashless emergency care to accident victims — an obligation that has yet to be fulfilled.

The government had initially introduced the idea of cashless treatment for accident victims, especially during the golden hour, in December 2023.

During the Winter Session of Parliament in 2024, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that road accidents in India result in nearly 178,000 deaths annually. He highlighted that nearly 60 per cent of these victims are between 18 and 34 years of age.

Gadkari also pointed out the states with the highest number of road accident fatalities. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 23,652 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu with 18,347 fatalities. Maharashtra recorded 15,366 deaths, while Madhya Pradesh reported 13,798.

 Among cities, Delhi recorded the highest number of road accident-related deaths, with over 1,457 fatalities. Bengaluru followed with 915 deaths, and Jaipur reported 850 fatalities.