KOZHIKODE: Minors driving vehicles beware! The court has started getting stricter. A Kozhikode youth, who rode a two-wheeler at 16, became the first to be punished three years later under the amended underage driving rules. He has been barred from obtaining a licence until he turns 25. Moreover, the registration of the vehicle he drove was cancelled for a year.
According to the Kozhikode RTO, the verdict must be an eye-opener to the juveniles who drive vehicles violating the rules and regulations of the motor vehicle department (MVD) and also the parents who take pride in their children using a vehicle before obtaining licence.
The new clauses in the Act came into effect on September 1, 2019. According to the new provisions with regard to underage drivers, the guardians or vehicle owners shall be held guilty in case of an offence by a juvenile. A fine of Rs 25,000 with three years imprisonment will be imposed on them, besides cancelling the vehicle registration.
‘Court verdict a lesson to those who flout rules’
As per the amended Act, the juvenile involved will be tried under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, apart from denying licence till the age of 25.But in this case reported in Kozhikode, the court decided to go slightly soft in terms of punishment. It also specifically warned the juvenile vehicle users to take this case as a lesson.
“The case was registered around three years ago when the boy, hailing from Vattakinar, was 16. He was caught by the MVD officers near the Calicut Arts and Science College riding a scooter. We haven’t seen such an exemplary verdict in the past three years since the Act was amended. This is indeed a lesson to all riders who flout rules,” Kozhikode Road Transport Officer P R Sumesh.
“Punishments such as denial of licence till the age of 25 will definitely make juveniles — and their parents — think twice before using vehicles without a valid licence,” he said.