FIRs for wrong-side driving only in 'serious' cases: Delhi Traffic Police
New Delhi (PTI): The registration of FIRs against motorists for wrong-side driving will be a 'selective' measure rather than a blanket policy, with criminal action reserved as a last resort, a senior official with the Delhi Traffic Police said on Wednesday.
Police have registered at least eight FIRs for wrong-side driving. The officer said the traffic police's primary approach would continue to focus on organising awareness drives and issuing challans and notices for violations.
He said that FIRs would be filed only in instances where the violation poses a life-threatening risk or involves repeat offenders.
"The FIR will largely depend on the nature of the offence. If it is life-threatening or has the potential to cause a serious accident, criminal action may be initiated," the officer said.
He added that repeat violations would be a key factor in the decision.
Police will also assess whether the violation occurred due to a genuine mistake, such as a lack of signage or unclear road directions, before deciding on an FIR, the officer said.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Neeraj Thakur told PTI the move aims to deter reckless behaviour on roads without criminalising minor or routine infractions.
He said that police would exercise discretion in enforcement, particularly where inadequate signage or a lack of clear directions led to a genuine mistake.
The shift towards stricter enforcement began in the last week of December to curb dangerous driving and reduce road accidents. This comes after the recent registration of FIRs for wrong-side driving under section 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act. This marks a first for the national capital.
Police clarified that these offences are bailable and the accused were released on bail after arrest.
The first FIR was filed on January 3 at Delhi Cantt police station against Aman, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur, for allegedly driving his car at high speed on the wrong side near the Hanuman Mandir red light.
The case was registered under Section 281 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, police said, adding that the accused was arrested and later released on bail.
Two subsequent FIRs were filed on January 5 at Kapashera and Vasant Kunj South police stations against Ankit Gaur, who was riding a motorcycle, and Sanij Kumar, who was driving a car, respectively.
The next five FIRs were registered on January 6 at Chanakyapuri police station against a car driver, at Vasant Kunj South against another car driver, at Kishangarh against a scooter rider, at Tughlaq Road against a car driver and at Mandir Marg against an auto-rickshaw driver.
Traffic police data shows a rise in enforcement, with challans increasing to 1,44,490 in 2025 from 1,04,720 in 2024, while the number of notices issued dropped to 1,27,395 from 1,78,448 in 2024.
While such violations were previously handled through fines and licence suspensions, officials said the rise in accidents on arterial roads during peak hours necessitated this revised, more stringent approach.
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No nation can progress unless small traders are protected: Arvind Kejriwal
Chandigarh (PTI): No nation can progress unless small shopkeepers and traders are protected and given ease of doing business, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.
Kejriwal made the remarks while addressing the maiden meeting of the Punjab State Traders Commission in Mohali, where he was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The former Delhi chief minister said that through the commission, local markets will be upgraded, and long-pending small issues of shopkeepers will be resolved.
He said the purpose of the commission is to make the tax system simpler, more transparent, and trader-friendly.
"Till now, in our country, traders and businessmen have been viewed with a very negative mindset. No matter which government or which party ruled, everyone treated traders as thieves," Kejriwal said.
"I pray that one day our government is formed at the Centre and we free you from GST. There is a kind of tax terrorism going on," he said.
Kejriwal termed the traders also a victim of politicians, who, he said, only remember them during elections and then, once in power, to extort money till the next election.
"I come from a trading family. I understand the pain and suffering of a trader. You may remember how, as children, we used to go to the village during summer holidays. My uncle there had a grocery shop at the bus stand. During summer vacations, many times I would manage the entire shop alone for days. I understand the pain of a shopkeeper," he said.
The AAP leader said the governments always talk about big investments everywhere. "But no one ever paid attention to the small shopkeeper running a grocery store, a clothing shop, a bread shop, a tile shop, or shops in small markets."
Attacking the rival parties in Punjab, he said that after their run was over, neither the Akali Dal nor the Congress would have dared to go among the public and seek honest feedback.
"After four years, they would face such abuse that I do not think the Congress government would have had the courage to pass around a microphone in a public gathering and say, speak whatever you want … If it had happened during the Akali Dal government, the microphone would not have returned," he said.
