Keypoints:
- As per the amended Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, those found with expired driving license will be charged a penalty of Rs. 5000.
- Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, validity of expiring DL and motor vehicle documents were extended till 31 December.
The relaxation given by the government to renew expiring Driving License (DL) and vehicle Registration Certificate (RC) will end on 31 December. The validity of expiring Driving license and motor vehicle documents were extended till 31 December amid the pandemic.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had continually extended the deadline for renewing driving licences, registration certificates, vehicle insurance, etc. in India.The ones found with expired driving licence will be charged a penalty of ₹5,000, as per the amended Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.
“Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to extend the validity of Fitness, Permits, Licenses, Registration or other documents under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 till the 31st of December 2020. The Ministry had earlier issued advisories on 30th March and 9th June this year regarding extension of validity of the documents related to Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. It was advised that the validity of Fitness, Permit (all types), License, Registration or any other concerned document(s) may be treated to be valid till 30th of September 2020,” the ministry said in an official statement.
The government is yet to take a decision on whether to extend the relaxations which were given to avoid any punitive action for holding expired documents since February due to the Covid pandemic.
Senior transport officials said that after being in place for nine months, the exemption would be lifted from January 1, 2021, unless there are specific directions from the ministry of road transport and highways (MORTH) to extend it further.
A suggestion to the Government has been made by the commercial vehicle owners to extend the relaxations for such vehicles considering the practical problems they are facing. “For example, our buses, which are attached to schools, are not running and we can’t operate them till schools are open. So, the government should look at all issues before taking any decision,” said the school bus operator.
