The Delhi High Court on Monday told Blueline bus owners, whose vehicles were impounded after fatal accidents, to deposit Rs 1 lakh in court to get their buses back on road.

A bench comprising Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Reva Khetrapal, in an interim order, said owners of buses involved in accidents that left victims injured would have to deposit Rs 50,000 in court to get their impounded buses back. The court, however, made it clear that it was an interim arrangement till it formulates broader guidelines for fines to be imposed on bus owners for their vehicles' involvement in accidents.

"We intend to frame the guidelines for compensation to be paid by the owners to send a clear message to them to hire good drivers. All residents of the city are entitled to have a safe and efficient public transport system in the capital like other cities of the world," the Bench said.

The fines are likely to vary in each accident depending upon the gravity of crime and injury caused to victims, the court said. Expressing surprise over the fact that the Centre had not amended the compensation amount for victims in the last 13 years despite the enormous increase in the cost of living, the court sought response from the government on what it was doing all these years.

"The fine of Rs 50,000 fixed in the year 1994 for the death caused to a commuter must have multiplied many times if you go by the increase in the cost of living in these 14 years," the bench said. The court directed the Centre to file its reply on increment on index of living during these years which would be considered while formulating the amount of fines.