Just a few days ago, an incident was reported where a man was fined for not wearing a helmet while driving his car. Now, once again, we have been informed of a case where another person was fined for the same reason. What’s more interesting is that the person who has been fined has stated that his vehicle was parked in his garage for a week.
Fine for a Parked Car
This incident has been reported by a resident from Begumpur Par Pokhra in Patna, Bihar. The car owner, Gaurav Kumar, stated that he was taken aback when he received a text message from the Patna Traffic Police on August 31, 2024.
He stated that in the message, sent at around 5:30 PM, he was informed that his car had been fined for a helmet violation. Kumar then mentioned that he was puzzled by this notification and knew something was wrong, as his vehicle had not been driven for the past seven days.
What Happened Next?
Following this notification of the fine, Kumar sought a clarification, so he reviewed the details of the challan and was shocked to see a critical error. He stated that the fine was accompanied by a photograph that showed a young couple riding a motorcycle.
It was then reported that the motorcycle’s number plate, BR 01 EV 2598, was very similar to Kumar’s car number plate, BR 01 FV 2598. So he understood that this was what led to a mix-up by the traffic authorities. The image was reportedly captured near AIIMS Golambar on August 30.
Kumar’s Action
Following this clarification from his side, the car owner immediately filed an online complaint to correct the error, hoping to get a resolution. However, as of now, his attempts to have the incorrect challan overturned have been unsuccessful. Most likely, once the authorities take note of this mistake, it will be resolved.
Previous Similar Incidents
As unfortunate as it may be, this is not the first time that we have seen something like this happen. Earlier in 2023, Tushar Saxena, a resident of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, was hit with a Rs 1,000 fine. He was handed this fine by the Noida traffic police for allegedly driving his car without wearing a helmet.
The car driver highlighted that he has never driven his vehicle in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district, where Noida is located. It was then reported that he initially ignored the fine. He assumed that it was a clerical error, but the matter became serious after he received further communications insisting that the fine needed to be paid.
Following this, Saxena then contacted the Noida traffic authorities. He was informed that the fine was issued because he was driving without wearing a helmet. This explanation left him very confused, as helmets are not required for car drivers.
However, despite the absurd nature of the situation, Saxena was warned that failure to pay the fine would result in a court summons. He has since appealed to the Noida traffic police to investigate and cancel the fine but is still awaiting a resolution.
Another case from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, was reported. It was highlighted that an Audi luxury car owner, Bahadur Singh Parihar, president of the truckers’ union, was fined Rs 1,000 for not wearing a helmet while driving his car. Parihar, upon receiving the challan, discovered that the fine had been issued based on a photograph of a motorcycle, not his car.
The motorcycle’s number plate closely resembled his car’s, leading to the error like in the case of Gaurav Kumar. So when Parihar approached the local traffic police to address the mistake, he was told that the matter could not be investigated until after the Lok Sabha elections, which were ongoing at the time.
Frustrated and wanting to avoid further complications, Parihar decided to protest the absurdity of the fine in a unique way—he began wearing a motorcycle helmet while driving his car around Jhansi. His actions then quickly caught public attention.
Wrongful Issuance of Traffic Challans
The number of wrongful issuances of traffic challans is increasing every day now. As more cities adopt automated systems for monitoring and fining traffic violations, the margin for error appears to be growing. This is leading to innocent individuals being fined for offenses they did not commit.
In many cases, these errors arise from clerical mistakes, such as mistaking similar license plate numbers or incorrectly processing images captured by traffic cameras. The result is a system that, while designed to improve road safety, is often leaving citizens burdened with the task of proving their innocence.
