Driving Licences

LMV driving licence holders can drive vehicles with 7,500 kg weight: SC

In a relief for commercial vehicle drivers, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held that a person holding a driving licence for a light motor vehicle (LMV) is also entitled to drive a transport vehicle with an unladen weight not exceeding 7,500 kg. The judgement of a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is a jolt to insurance companies which had been rejecting claims if accidents involved transport vehicles of a particular weight and if the drivers were not authorised to drive them as per legal stipulation. There is no empirical data that LMV driving licence holders are responsible for rise in road accidents in the country, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who wrote the unanimous verdict for the bench, said. He said the LMV driving licence holders, who spent maximum time behind the wheels, are seeking an answer from the court and their grievances cannot be rejected on technical grounds. Besides the CJI and Justice Roy, the bench also comprised Justices P S ...

Electronic DLs, registration certificates may replace smart cards in Delhi

Delhi government is considering to replace the current smart card system on driving licenses and registration certificates with electronic versions that could be downloaded like Aadhaar cards, officials said on Wednesday. The new move would allow citizens to download and print their e-DL and e-RC in a format similar to the Aadhaar Card, featuring a unique ID and QR code that could be used by traffic police for verification, they said. A senior official of the Delhi Transport department said that the electronic documents could either be printed or accessed via apps like DigiLocker or mParivahan, offering citizens a convenient way to present their documents when required. In 2023-24, Delhi's transport department issued 1.6 lakh licenses and 6.69 lakh RCs as of May this year, and under the new plan, only e-DLs and e-RCs would be issued, he added. The downloadable PDF format, available on the Parivahan Sewa portal, would include a QR code to confirm authenticity, and links would also b

Supreme Court resumes hearing on issue of driving licence for LMV

The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to resume its hearing on the legal question of whether a person holding a driving licence for a light motor vehicle is also entitled to drive a transport vehicle with an unladen weight not exceeding 7,500 kg. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took the decision after Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, said though the consultations to amend the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act 1988 were almost complete, but the proposed amendments are yet to be tabled before Parliament. The top most law officer said the amended Bill can be presented before Parliament in the Winter session and suggested the bench either defer the hearing till it is cleared by the House or proceed with the matters. The bench, also comprising justices Hrishikesh Roy, P S Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal and Manoj Misra, said as it has already heard the matter for some time and hence, it will proceed with the hearing without waiting for .

101 challans issued for minor driving offences from Jan to mid-May in Delhi

The Delhi Police has issued 101 challans for minor driving offences from January till May 15, as per the official data. A total of 15 challans were issued during the same period in 2023, data from the Delhi Traffic Police revealed. "A surge of nearly 573 per cent was witnessed this year. The rise in prosecutions serves as a deterrent, highlighting the legal consequences of such violations," a senior police officer said. According to traffic police, they have implemented several strategic measures aimed at tackling this issue. These measures include heightened surveillance, deployment of additional personnel at key checkpoints, and increased patrolling in areas known for frequent traffic violations by minors. "The crackdown on minor driving is part of a broader initiative to enhance road safety and reduce accidents involving young and inexperienced drivers," police said. "We have been conducting awareness campaigns in schools and communities to educate parents and guardians about t

New driving license rules from June 1: No need for driving tests at RTO

The driver's licence application fee depends on the licence type

New rules for getting driving licence, training: Here is what has changed

The regulations will come into effect from June 1, 2024 and notifications have been issued to inform the public

Report filed on need of change in law on granting driving licence: Centre

The Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that a government-appointed committee has submitted a draft report after examining a legal question that whether a person holding a driving licence for a light motor vehicle is also entitled to legally drive a transport vehicle carrying unladen weight not exceeding 7,500 kilograms. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud granted time to the Centre till April 15 to resolve the issue and said if the matter remains unresolved, it will hear the pleas and pronounce a verdict. "Actually, it is a part-heard matter. We have substantially heard it.... We will give you (the government) the time to resolve the matter. If it is not resolved, then we will hear the matter and lay down the law. "Ultimately, if Parliament wants to intervene, then it can always do so...," the bench, also comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy, P S Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal and Manoj Misra, said. The bench granted time till mid-February for th

Driving lessons at govt-run automated test tracks come up in Delhi

To learn driving, one will now have the option to train under instructors at government-run automated test tracks in the national capital. The move, officials say, is also a step towards safety as people in the dearth of vacant spaces take to roads to learn driving. There are 13 automated driving test tracks in Delhi, two of which -- Sarai Kale Khan and Loni -- have this facility at the moment, the officials said. These automated driving test tracks are linked to 13 regional transport offices (RTOs). The two automated driving test tracks which provide the facility to learn driving are run in partnership with Maruti Suzuki, they added. There is also a Driver Training Institute at Burari run by Ashok Leyland which is mostly for heavy vehicles. "The Transport Department has been asked to prepare a proposal to this effect. We plan to have driving instructors at the 11 automated driving test tracks for common people. One of the reasons behind this move is the fact that there are no vac

Driving licence suspension after 3 traffic challans: Noida Police

More than three challans for violating traffic rules may lead to cancellation of a person's driving licence, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police has warned citizens. A further repeat of offence may even lead to suspension or cancellation of registration of vehicles, the police said. "In line with instructions given by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety and as per the decision taken in the meeting of Uttar Pradesh Road Safety Council, action will be taken to cancel the licence of a person who gets more than three challans in a row for offences like red light jumping, over speed, overloading, carrying passengers in goods vehicles, use of mobile phone while driving, or drunken driving," the police said in a statement Saturday. "If such drivers repeat the offence thereafter, the registration of the vehicle will also be suspended or cancelled," the police added. According to officials, around 1,000 road accidents have been reported so far this year in which nearly 400 lives have been

SC directs govt to review if change in law is warranted for driving licence

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Central government to review by January 17 the legal question of whether a person holding a driving licence for a light motor vehicle is entitled to legally drive a transport vehicle of a particular weight. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud noted that the exercise for amendment would require consultation with multiple stakeholders which will take time. "We direct the Union to pursue the exercise with utmost expedition. Since the consultation with the state government is envisaged, we direct all state governments to comply with the timeline set by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. "The proceedings shall now be listed on January 17, 2024, by which date we expect that the consultation will be concluded in its entirety and a clear road map of further steps which Union proposes to take should be placed before this court," the bench, also comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy, P S Narasimha, Pankaj .

Sarathi Parivahan: Everything you need to know about driving license

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has digitised all the RTOs across the country and has effectively streamlined the Sarathi portal for every driving license service

All reported births, deaths to be digitally registered from October 1

Digital birth certificates will serve as a single document that can be used for admission to educational institutions, applications for driving licences, government jobs, passports, or Aadhaar

Poor diligence while granting driving licences is costing lives on roads

Lack of proper diligence while granting driving licence and inadequate law enforcement were resulting in a high number of road fatalities in Maharashtra, experts said. According to the data shared by the Maharashtra transport department, 97.24 per cent of 32.04 lakh citizens who applied for driving licences had passed the tests, while only 2.4 per cent failed and 0.36 per cent did not turn up. Among the 50 regional transport offices (RTOs) in Maharashtra, 14 had a failure rate of less than 1 per cent among driving test applicants, while only six had a failure rate of more than 5 per cent, the data said. What is more serious is that in some RTO offices, the failure rate was below 0.50 per cent and a few had it more than 7-8 per cent. Experts say it is difficult to understand how so many drivers were passing driving tests, considering the alarming number of accidents on state roads. "With each passing day, we hear of horrific road crashes that claim lives of innocent people. The ...

Govt developing platform to update DigiLocker documents using Aadhaar

The IT ministry plans to first approach departments that issue important documents such as driving licenses, ration cards, voter ID cards, etc. Passports are likely to be brought in later

Road safety project: Govt piloting Cibil-like rating for licenced drivers

Ratings to be offered to insurers and OEMs to enable them to customise premiums based on driving behaviour, incentives on new vehicle purchases

Youth must know road safety rules before getting vehicle keys: Maha Min

Maharashtra Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday asked officials in transport and police departments to take innovative and practical steps to improve road safety and advised parents to ensure their young children are well aware of traffic rules before giving them vehicles to drive. Highlighting some recent road accidents involving state politicians, Desai said drivers alone cannot be blamed for such tragedies as politicians make them drive for long hours, especially during the night time. The minister was speaking after inaugurating the 34th "Road Safety Drive 2023" at a function at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in South Mumbai. The event coincided with the National Road Safety Week, which is celebrated from January 11 to 17. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who also holds the transport portfolio, and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis were slated to attend the function, but they did not turn up for the event. Addressing the function that was delayed by ...

Motorcycle permits now costlier than new, entry-level bikes in Singapore

The cost of a 10-year motorcycle permit in the city-state hit a record S$12,801 ($8,984) this month according to data from the Land Transport Authority

Telecom Bill revisits licence raj, impinges on privacy safeguards

Many global agencies have raised concern that the draft Bill will adversely impact privacy by giving DoT almost unlimited powers to access and endlessly demand all manner of private information

Instagram introduces new age verification feature for users in India

People will now be able to ask others to vouch for their age or use tech to confirm their age based on video selfie. Earlier, verification was possible only by uploading driving license or other ID

12,500 licences suspended in special drive against helmetless riding

The Odisha State Transport Authority (STA) has suspended more than 12,000 driving licences and collected over Rs 60 lakh as fine during a two-week special drive against helmetless riders on the highways of the state, STA official said on Friday. A total of 888 vehicles have been seized for driving without licence and 24,474 e-challans were issued in the drive against riding two-wheelers without wearing helmets on national and state highways from August 16-30, the STA said on Friday. Helmetless driving is a major cause of road accidents and grievous injury across Odisha, the official said. Last year 1,308 riders and pillion riders were killed in road accidents and most of them were not wearing helmets. A total of 1,280 people were seriously injured and 747 had minor injuries in accidents involving two-wheelers during the period, according to a STA release. "The enforcement team of the STA collected Rs 63.98 lac as fine and 12,545 licences have been suspended for riding the ...