Delhi Traffic Police - worst in india

Just wanted to provide some quick info for tourists driving through Delhi.

1) The so called Delhi Traffic Police, is a total fraud. There is no such animal. It is the Transport Commissioner of Delhi who is actually responsible for the Traffic of Delhi.

2) Keep several xerox copies of your driving licence and Registration Papers - DULY ATTESTED BY A NOTARY PUBLIC with you at all times.

3) When the Traffic Cop stop you - handover one of these xerox copies only, never handover your originals. This is perfectly legal under sections 32 of the Rules of the Rules Regulations (RRR) and section 139 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989. Furthermore u/s 206 of the Motor Vehicles Act a police officer in uniform can only seize your licence if he has "reason to believe" ( ie. has evidence) that you will not appear in court - always inform him that to the contrary you DESIRE to resolve the matter in court and not on the streets in accordance with the Supreme Court of India guidelines.

4) As long as no accident or harm has been caused, don't argue with the traffic cops - simply utter the 2 magic words - "NOTICE BRANCH". As per Supreme Court Guidelines in the M.C.Mehta case the Traffic Cops cannot force you to pay the fine on the road (compounding), but all enquiry with a view to prosecution may be done with the NOTICE BRANCh who will enquire into the matter.

5) If a traffic challan under section 133 Motor Vehicles Act 1988 arrives from the Notice Branch through ordinary post or UPC - simply ignore it. These section 133 notices (or so called traffic challans) are only when the vehicle was involved in an accident and must be personally served on you or sent by registerd post only.

bye for now.

I will keep adding to this thread. I got most of this info from the private files at

http://geocities.com/india_pil/

We all know how traffic cops in India just need an excuse to harass people and yet we bow to such harassment. None of us have come forward to say NO to these guys.
A friend of mine uploaded a video of a story nonetheless similar on Jaagore.com. Here the policemen come in their vans and without any warning or notice of any kind, they take the parked vehicles away! Even if the owner is present at the site, they do not bother to fine him for his mistake. What’s this?
Please, let’s do something to stop this and bring a resolution which will help both Civilians and Policemen.
http://www.jaagore.com/jaagoremoment...ce-harrassment

I think the only problem with Delhi traffic police is that many of them are as corrupt as those drivers willing to bribe them to avoid getting a challan with a higher fine. I don't see them inventing infractions, why should they? Stand on any street corner in Delhi and within a minute you see more infractions than you can shake a stick at!

The problem in Delhi is that every driver considers the stretch of road his vehicle is driving on as well as a 'bubble' extending 10 meters in all directions as his private property where he is god and all others should scramble out of his way. 90% of Delhi drivers would never pass a serious driving test, if such a thing existed in India. Cutting in, ignoring priority rules, crossing the yellow line, not sticking to your lane, driving down a road in the wrong way b/c there happens to be a traffic jam blocking the lane in which they should be waiting....you see it all, in under 5 minutes.

What should happen is that the fines go up drastically and the cops should be 'tested' for corruption, with summary dismissal for anyone taking a bribe and arrest for anyone offering a bribe. In stead of a ridiculous 100 Rs fine for an infraction, the minimum should be 1000 Rs, with on the spot payment against getting a challan or having your vehicle impounded and sold off a couple of weeks later. Why do you guys think drivers in most western countries behave and traffic is much easier/quicker there? It's because over there, you can't afford to pull the stunts that are commonplace here!

Anyway, rant modus out. For the official rates for infractions, check this site. I propose all amounts are multiplied by 10, effective immediately.

On a side note: drivers in e.g. Mumbai are much more disciplined than in Delhi.