HC Faults Telangana Government for Lack of Lift Safety Law Since 2015
The Bench noted that the issue has remained under consideration since 2015 without any concrete progress
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday expressed concern over the prolonged delay by the state government in enacting a comprehensive legislation to regulate the safety of lifts and elevators, despite a proposal for such legislation being under consideration since 2015.
The division bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin was hearing a taken-up public interest litigation initiated through a letter addressed to the Chief Justice in March 2025, and a subsequent application filed by advocate Barkat Ali Khan. The Bench noted that the issue has remained under consideration since 2015 without any concrete progress.
With no response from the government and officials on the issue, for six months , the bench directed the party in person and advocate Barkat Ali Khan to undertake research on existing lift safety laws in other states and to propose comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing accidents. The Bench further stated that such guidelines, once submitted, could be considered for implementation until the government enacts a formal statute.
During the proceedings, Khan informed the court that since the previous hearing in August, three deaths and seven injuries had been reported in seven separate lift-related incidents across the state. He further submitted that several such incidents go unreported, indicating the urgency for regulatory intervention. The bench observed that the absence of specific legislation has left a vacuum in the regulatory framework and criticised the government for repeatedly seeking time to obtain instructions regarding the proposed law.
Even on Wednesday, the government counsel sought more time to obtain the instructions by saying that the local body elections were underway and authorities were busy with election related works. The Bench observed that if elections are an issue now, why no action was taken since 2015 and why the proposal remained pending.
Government Pleader for the Energy Department, P. Ganesh sought time to secure instructions and confirmed that the proposal for legislation remains under active consideration. The court gave four weeks' time to the government.
