Original license check: Police choose to advise motorists rather than penalise on Day 1

On Wednesday, when carrying of the original driving licence on one’s person was made mandatory for motorists as per the directive of Supreme Court Committee, traffic cops went relatively easy on them. City Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan maintained that licences will be suspended for specific violations such as drunk driving and over-speeding.

A traffic inspector said that they received orders from their senior officers to not force motorists to produce the original driving licence, in case of violations. He said that an awareness drive has been planned for motorists in the coming days, after which, the rule will be strictly implemented. “However, a few motorists were proactive and readily showed their original driving licences,” said the inspector.

Greater Chennai Traffic Police had issued a release advising motorists to carry original licence, failing which they will be liable to pay a penalty of Rs 500 or a three-month imprisonment, or both, as per Section 181 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety headed by Justice KS Radhakrishnan, had, in 2015, recommended stern action against the violators of the law and exercise discretion under Section 19 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 read with Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 by passing an order disqualifying the offender from holding a driving licence for a specified period and also by seeking imprisonment to deal with serious violations, in order to bring down the fatalities due to road accidents. However, a senior police official here said that there are a few practical difficulties in implementing the rule and added that it can be effectively implemented when the entire process is digitised. “The project is currently under way,” added the official.

Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan, speaking to DTNext, said that it is not a drive against motorists. “For violations highlighted by the Supreme Court committee, motorists will be asked to produce the original driving licence. Also, showing driving licence on Digilocker app will be accepted. And the rule applies to everyone, irrespective of their profession. No excuse given by violators will be accepted,” said the Commissioner.