Transport dept cancels car registration after minor caught driving in Narsingi

The Transport Department in Telangana cancelled a vehicle’s registration for one year after a minor was caught driving in Narsingi, with her grandfather, a police sub-inspector, seated beside her.

Hyderabad: Traffic norms are flagrantly violated and repeated advisories and cautions on the risks that involve minors driving vehicles are brazenly ignored. And it gets worse when those expected to uphold the rules and be a model citizen for others, themselves throw caution to the wind and violate the norms.

In a recent case, reiterating its zero-tolerance policy against underage driving, the Transport Department cancelled the registration of a vehicle for one year after it was found being driven by a minor.

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The action comes in the wake of the recent Narsingi incident, where a video showing a minor girl driving a car while her grandfather, a police Sub-Inspector (SI), sat in the front passenger seat went viral on social media.

Following public outrage, the police booked the SI and initiated departmental action, while the Transport Department cancelled the vehicle’s registration for 12 months under Section 199A (4) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the department said that under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (as amended in 2019), the vehicle owner or guardian is deemed guilty if a minor is caught driving.

Besides cancellation of the vehicle’s registration for one year, the minor will not be eligible to obtain a driving licence until the age of 25.

Highlighting its enforcement drive, the department said 4,070 vehicle registrations were cancelled across Telangana during the last financial year for permitting minors to drive.

The Transport Department appealed to parents and guardians not to hand over vehicle keys to minors, stressing that such violations not only endanger lives but also attract severe legal consequences, including cancellation of vehicle registration and a prolonged delay in the minor’s eligibility to obtain a driving licence.