Highway Blocked By Luxury Cars For Reels, Chhattisgarh High Court Slams Cops

In a sharp rebuke, the Chhattisgarh High Court has pulled up the Bilaspur Police for failing to confiscate luxury cars that were illegally parked on National Highway-130 during a late-night photoshoot organised by a group of affluent young men to celebrate the purchase of a new car.

Chief Justice Ramesh Kumar Sinha, heading a division bench with Justice BD Guru, expressed serious concern over the police's lenient action and demanded an explanation in the form of an affidavit from the state government. The court questioned why such a blatant violation, which caused traffic chaos on a key highway, only led to minor penal actions.

The incident, which took place in the Hirri and Chakarbhatha police station areas, saw luxury cars parked across the Bilaspur-Raipur National Highway while professional cameramen and drones captured the moment all to film Instagram reels showcasing a fleet of high-end vehicles.

One of the main accused, Vedansh Sharma, had reportedly bought two new expensive cars and was accompanied by a convoy of black SUVs. According to witnesses, the highway was blocked at night, with vehicles queued up on both sides, but no one dared to intervene as the group posed for the camera.

The videos of the shoot, initially uploaded by Vedansh on Instagram, went viral, sparking public outrage, but the account was deleted soon after.

The Bilaspur Police initially issued challans under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and claimed to have written to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) seeking the suspension of the drivers' licenses. However, no immediate seizure of vehicles was carried out, raising serious questions about the police's hesitation in acting against the influential individuals involved.

Speaking to NDTV, Bilaspur SSP Rajnesh Singh confirmed that an FIR has now been registered and the process of vehicle seizure is underway. "Blocking a national highway is a criminal offence. All involved will face strict legal consequences," he said.

The High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter after the video circulated widely on social media and was brought to the court's attention as a public interest litigation (PIL). The bench has directed the state government to respond to whether sufficient action has been taken and why serious sections were not invoked earlier.