Hyderabad, Sept. 10 -- Road accidents in Telangana rose by more than 35 percent between 2020 and 2024, even as annual fatalities held above 7,000 through the period, according to data cited before the Telangana High Court in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent state action on road safety.

The state recorded 25,934 accidents and 7,281 deaths in 2024, compared with 19,164 accidents and 6,668 deaths in 2020, city-based social activist SQ Masood told the court. Among the cases he cited was the fatal crash at Chevella, which he said was linked to a pothole on the highway and flawed road design, among other factors.

A division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin took up the PIL on Wednesday, Septe...