Fact Check: Is it no longer mandatory for bikers to wear helmets in India?

A message has gone viral with the claim that the government of India has said that it is no longer mandatory to wear helmets.

A message has gone viral on WhatsApp claiming that it is no longer mandatory for bikers to wear helmets within the limit of the civic bodies radius from any city.

The message claimed that the decision was taken following a plea filed by a person called Sagar Kumar Jain.

"The use of helmet, however, is mandatory on highways. If any traffic or policement ask you about not wearing a helment you can tell that your bike is under municipal corporation limit," read the message.

The Press Information Bureau's fact-checking arm has debunked this message as fake. It added that the government of India has not taken any such decision.

"A fake message claiming that helmet checking for two-wheeler riders have been scrapped in all states is doing the rounds. The Government of India has not taken any such decision. " PIB's fact checking arm, PIB Fact Check said in a tweet.

The rules regarding wearing of protective headgear or helmets are governed under Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988.

What Section 129 of The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 says:

Wearing of protective headgear.-Every person driving or riding (otherwise than in a side car, on a motor cycle of any class or description) shall, while in a public place, wear 1[protective headgear conforming to the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards]: Provided that the provision of this sections shall not apply to a person who is a Sikh, if he is, while driving or riding on the motor cycle, in a public place, wearing a turban: Provided further that the State Government may, by such rules, provide for such exceptions as it may think fit. Explanation.-"Protective headgear" means a helmet which,-

(a) by virtue of its shape, material and construction, could reasonably be expected to afford to the person driving or riding on a motor cycle a degree of protection from injury in the event of an accident; and

(b) is securely fastened to the head of the wearer by means of straps or other fastenings provided on the headgear.

This makes it clear that the WhatsApp message in circulation claiming that wearing of helmets is no longer mandatory. The Centre has made no such amendment to Section 129 of the Motor Vehicle Act, which has done away with wearing of helmets for bikers.