In 2 years, 6 states issued 1.5k e-challans levying Rs 48 lakh fine for letting kids drive

NEW DELHI: Road transport ministry informed Rajya Sabha Wednesday that in the past two years, 1,497 e-challans imposing Rs 48 lakh as fines were issued in six states and UTs for the offence of allowing minors to drive vehicles. As per data entered by states in the e-challan portal, Bihar had the maximum number of such notices (1,316) issued to parents, guardians and vehicle owners in 2023 and 2024, while it was 22 in Delhi.

In a written reply to Congress MP Neeraj Dangi, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari submitted that as per e-challan database where states enter the details,Rs 44.3 lakh penalty was collected in Bihar, followed by Rs 1.4 lakh in Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh (Rs 1.3 lakh). In Uttarakhand, 22 challans were issued during the year and little over Rs 1 lakh fine was collected. Uttar Pradesh has uploaded only "one" such e-challan in the central portal with a fine of Rs 23,150.

As per the amended MV Act, owner, guardian or parents will be held liable for allowing a minor to drive a vehicle, if the offence is committed in their knowledge and they can face fines, jail terms and cancellation of vehicle registrations. The burden to prove that the minor used the vehicle without their knowledge is on the owner, parent and guardian.

In response to the number of crashes caused by minor drivers, Gadkari submitted that 11,890 such cases have been recorded in the online Integrated Road Accidents Data (iRAD) system in the past two years. Among all states and UTs, Tamil Nadu reported a maximum of 2,063 such cases, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,138), Maharashtra (1,067) and UP (935).

Officials said that the state police are supposed to update the details on e-challan and iRAD portals developed by the central govt for better monitoring.


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