UP News: Challan issued for driving car without wearing helmet; violation may lead to appearing in court

A journalist in Uttar Pradesh is fighting a fine that he received for not wearing a helmet while driving a car. The unusual situation began nine months ago when Tushar Saxena was issued a ₹1,000 fine in Noida’s Gautam Buddh Nagar, 188 km from Rampur where he lives.

The fine was for allegedly not wearing a helmet while driving his four-wheeler, as reported by NDTV. Initially dismissing it as a clerical error, he got a follow-up email and message, prompting him to challenge the case.

The police informed the TV journalist that appearing in court would be necessary if he did not make a payment. He purchased his Hyundai car in March of the previous year and is currently seeking case dismissal from Noida authorities.

"The challan was issued on November 9, 2023. If you are violating traffic rules, then it is common to receive a fine but that is not my case. I have never driven my car to the NCR area. And if there's any rule that says we have to wear a helmet inside a car, then the authorities must give this to me in writing," NDTV quoted Saxena as saying.

A similar incident

In June 2023, a government school teacher received a ₹1,000 fine from Gautam Budh Nagar traffic police for allegedly driving without a helmet in Noida’s Hoshiyarpur area. The teacher claimed she did not own any registered motorcycle.

The issue surfaced when Shailja Chaudhary, a teacher living in Greater Noida's Zeta-1, got an electronic challan. Chaudhary said, while busy with household tasks, a text from the Traffic Police arrived on her phone.

At first, Chaudhary assumed a visiting relative had broken traffic rules in their car. But, upon checking, Chaudhary was surprised to find a photo of a bike and a fine issued under their car's registration number for not wearing a helmet.