Wadakkanchery police jeep fined for missing documents; ‘excess’ penalty questioned

A day after a motor vehicles inspector imposed a fine on a Wadakkanchery Police Station jeep for allegedly lacking valid documents, the police now claim that the vehicle was insured and that the insurance details were not updated on online portal.

The Motor Vehicle department (MVD), however, defended its action, maintaining that the jeep did not have a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate and that enforcement officials acted in accordance with the law.

The incident occurred late on Monday night near Uthralikavu, where an enforcement squad of the Thrissur Regional Transport Office (RTO) stopped a Wadakkanchery police jeep that was on night patrol.

Motor Vehicles Inspector P.V. Biju inspected the vehicle and found that the required documents were not available on the system. A case was registered and a fine of ₹4,000 was imposed.

Police officials later clarified that the vehicle was covered by valid insurance and that the policy details had not been reflected on the online portal. They, however, admitted that the vehicle did not have a valid PUC certificate.

According to the police, the maximum penalty for not carrying a valid PUC certificate is ₹250, and the certificate can be produced within a week. They questioned the imposition of the higher penalty.

Responding to the police’s contention, Mr. Biju said that insurance details are normally updated on the portal within three days of renewal. “The jeep’s previous insurance had expired in March. It was the responsibility of the vehicle owner to ensure that the renewed insurance was reflected in the system. The absence of a valid PUC certificate was also a violation,” he said.

“The law applies equally to everyone. We took the same action that we would have taken against any member of the public. If necessary, even police vehicles can be stopped and inspected,” he said.

He added that the MVD had previously issued fines to police vehicles for traffic violations detected through enforcement cameras and that the penalties had been paid without dispute.