You must have come across bizarre cases of hefty fines being imposed on the traffic violators in the last three days. A truck driver was charged with Rs 59,000 in Gurugram, whereas a Delhi man was fined Rs 23,000 for his Rs 15,000 scooter. While the new set of penality under the revised Motor Vehicle Act was enforced to ensure people comply with traffic rules.

Traffic police can penalise you if they find you jumping red light, driving without helmet, unclear display of number plate, driving without a license, improper and obstructive parking, overloading, valid insurance or valid pollution under control certificate.

The ongoing trend of heavy fines has induced fear among many people. Therefore, you should know your own rights!

The traffic police need to carry a challan book or e-challan machine in order to penalise you. If you’re caught by traffic police, generally you will be asked to produce documents and not handover the documents. Section 130 of the Motor Vehicle Act states that the driver of a motor vehicle in any public place shall on demand by any police officer “produce” his license for examination and not submit. If you have doubts regarding the authenticity of the police official, politely ask his/her identity card. If the personnel refuses, then you are entitled to not display the documents. You can also show all forms of documents to the officer in electronic form. According to a circular released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) dated 17.12.2018, documents like Driving License (DL), Registration Certificate (RC), Insurance and PUC can be shown to traffic police in the electronic form. If you are detained by the traffic police, you need to appear before the magistrate in less than 24 hours for your trial. If you feel that you are being harassed by traffic police then you can file an official complaint. The challan handed over to you should include all the offence that you have committed. The traffic police officer has to provide a valid receipt if he has detained your driving license. Traffic police can detain your driving license if you are caught drink and drive, talking on the phone while driving, or jump the red light. Traffic police cannot tow your car if you are sitting in it. Traffic police can also detain your vehicle if you are found driving without a license or permit. They can also detain your vehicle if they find your vehicle is not registered.

Arguing with the traffic police is a bad idea. If you have committed a mistake, it is always better to politely explain the situation to the police. Do not indulge yourself in bribing the police officer. If you do so, you are further contributing to corruption.

Also Read: Gurugram: Man Fined Rs 23,000 For Traffic Violation While Driving A Rs 15,000 Scooter