Kerala Car Owner Fined ₹500 for ‘Not Wearing Helmet Properly’

When contacted, Kerala police said it could be the result of a clerical or typographical error when the registration number was being entered into the system.

Thiruvananthapuram: A Maruti Alto car owner has reportedly received a challan of Rs 500 from the Kerala Traffic Police for not wearing a helmet properly. This amusing incident is an apparent goof-up by the Kerala Traffic Police, but the owner, Ajith A, now has to approach the authorities to get the error corrected.

Ajith received the challan for “driving or causes or allows a motorcycle to be driven by wearing a protective headgear not securely fastened to the head of the wearer (helmet) (chin strap)”. The challan, dated December 7, 2021, shows two people riding a bike with the pillion rider not wearing a helmet. At the same time, the challan also indicates that the vehicle class as ‘motor car’ and the registration number is that of Ajith’s car.

The goof-up seems to have taken place as the registration of the motorbike, an image of which is attached to the challan, is similar to that of the car except for the last two digits—11 instead of 77. Ajith, however, told the media that he has decided to file a complaint with the Motor Vehicles Department to address the issue.

When contacted, police said it could be the result of a clerical or typographical error when the registration number was being entered into the system.