Cyclist slapped with challan for riding on wrong side
What's the story
In what can be seen as a mix-up or a stringent action, 47-year-old Rajbahadur Yadav was slapped with a challan or court memo under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act for allegedly riding his bicycle on the wrong side of the road in Surat city of Gujarat.
The matter came to light when the challan went viral on social media platforms.
Incident
Social media users are questioning the challan
People raised questions on social media about the police's right to invoke the MV Act against a cyclist.
Rajbahadur Yadav, a power loom worker, was passing through a road in Sachin GIDC on Thursday morning when lady constable Komal Dangar intercepted him for riding on the "wrong side" of the road and issued a challan under the MV Act.
Details
Officials admit constable issued the wrong challan
Since it's a court memo and not a cash memo, Yadav needs to appear before a judicial magistrate's court, which deals with traffic-related offenses.
Reacting to the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic) Prashant Sumbe admitted that the constable should have mentioned the Gujarat Police Act instead of the MV Act in the challan.
GP Act
Yadav has decided to appear before the court
"While a cyclist cannot be punished under the MV Act, we can take action as per the GP Act. There are several cyclists in the Sachin GIDC area who often break rules. We can take such actions under the GP Act," Sumbe said on Friday.
Yadav, who lives in the Pandesara area, admitted to his mistake and has decided to appear before the court.
Other details
'No idea how the MV Act applies to a cyclist'
"I was caught when I was riding on the wrong side of the road. The constable gave me a memo and told me that the court will decide my punishment," said Yadav.
"Even I have no idea how the MV Act applies to a cyclist, but I will appear before the court and accept whatever it decides," he added.