It is the responsibility of the traffic police to ensure compliance with traffic rules. The police can stop vehicles for inspection. In case of violation of the rules, they can also issue challans and impound the vehicle.
All this is necessary for drivers to follow the rules to maintain traffic order. During checking, traffic policemen also do some things that the law does not allow them to do. It is common for traffic policemen to forcibly remove car keys or deflate tires. But, do the traffic police have the right to do this? According to the law, the answer is ‘no’.
No traffic policeman has any right to take out the vehicle key or deflate the tire. You may also be asked to show documents like your driving license, vehicle registration papers, insurance and pollution certificate (PUC). If any traffic policeman does this, it is a violation of the law and you can file a complaint against them. But even now people are tolerating all these arbitrariness due to lack of information.
What does the law say?
According to the Indian Motor Vehicles Act 1932, only officers of the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector (AS) or above can issue challans for violation of traffic rules. Only ASI, Sub-Inspector and Inspector have the power to impose fines on the spot. A traffic constable or home guard cannot issue a challan for a vehicle. If the vehicle does not have an RC, then the vehicle can be seized but the Indian Motor Vehicles Act does not allow forcibly taking away the keys from anyone or draining the air.
Rules required for challaning
The traffic policeman can impose a fine on you if he has a challan book or an e-challan machine. Without any of these, he cannot collect a fine from the driver in the name of the challan. It is also necessary for the traffic policeman to be in uniform. If the traffic policeman is in civil dress, the driver may also be asked to show his identity card.
