Over 37,000 prosecuted for using tinted glass on vehicles

New Delhi, Sep 11: Over 37,000 people were caught in the national capital this year for using tinted glass on their vehicles even as the past few months witnessed lesser prosecution due to an aggressive drive by the police.

A total of 37,231 people were prosecuted for the use of tinted glass or dark film on their vehicles, flouting the Central Motor Vehicles Rules of 1989, the whopping majority of which came in the first three months of this year.

According to Delhi Police statistics, 29,579 people were prosecuted for using tinted glass on their vehicles this year till Mar, while the figure from April 1st to August 15 was 7,652. In 2010, the police had fined 2,971 people.

"The decrease in number does not mean that we are not acting against them. It shows that our aggressive drive against vehicles with tinted glass acted as a deterrent and so there is lesser violation now," a senior police official said.

According to rules, there should be at least 70 per cent transparency in the front and rear windows and 50 per cent transparency on the side windows.

Many of those who were caught were asked to remove the tinted glass within 72 hours or go to court to get their licence back, the official said, adding the a strict direction appeared to be paying dividends in checking the menace.

From March, police have been asking the erring vehicle owners to remove tinted glass within 72 hours and produce their cars at police station to get back their related-documents or driving licences back.

Police began the drive against tinted glasses after some vehicles were found involved in crime against women.

They also discovered that people preferred to pay fines when caught but did not remove films and there were many cases of multiple fines of same vehicles.

PTI