Know Your Rights, If You Are Stopped By A Traffic Cop

There’s a lot of misconceptions regarding the power of traffic cops. If you are a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler driver, you can be stopped by traffic cops while you might not know what do about it. Here are some rights that commuter have that you should know.

1. Without a valid receipt, traffic police cannot take away your driving license. Your DL can be seized if you have jumped the red light, overloading, drunken driving and using mobile phone while driving.
2. Cops cannot tow your vehicle as long as you are sitting in it. You have to vacate your vehicle before they can tow your car.
3. If you are female or accompanied by a female and you are being stopped after 6 pm, you can ask the cop to bring a female cop. A male cop cannot physically search you.
4. The cop should carry a challan book or e-challan machine in hand to penalize you with a fine. Without any of these, the cop cannot penalize you.
5. If you have actually broken the law, show your Driving Licence, RC/Insurance to the policeman. It is completely your choice whether you want to hand over the documents to the cop or not. Section 130 of Motor Vehicle clearly reads, “The driver of a motor vehicle in any public place shall, on demand by any police officer in uniform, produce his licence for examination” Therefore, the law says “produce” (section 130) and not hand over.
6. A police must be in his uniform with their name and buckle number clearly shown on their uniform. Without all these, you can’t be sure if he is at all a policeman. We can politely ask him his name, ID card and batch number.Don’t provide your papers before making sure the person in front of you is actually a policeman.
7. The traffic cop cannot confiscate your vehicle keys or force you out of the car by opening the door.
8. If you are arrested for violation of law, you must be directly taken to a police station. If you are detained, you have the right to be brought before a court within 24 hours of your detention.