Gujarat: 47-year-old cyclist slapped with challan for riding on wrong side of road

Surat, May 28: In what can be seen as a mix-up or a stringent action, a 47-year-old worker was slapped with a challan or court memo under the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act for allegedly riding his bicycle on the wrong side of the road in Gujarat's Surat city.

The matter came to light when the challan went viral on social media platforms, where people raised questions about the police's right to invoke the MV Act against a cyclist.

Rajbahadur Yadav, a powerloom 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, it was stated.

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 offences.

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.

"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 and they often break rules and put peoples' lives in danger. We can take action against such erring riders under the GP Act," Sumbe said on Friday.

Yadav, who lives in Pandesara area, admitted to his mistake and has decided to appear before the court.

"I was caught when I was riding the wrong side of the road. The constable gave me a memo and told me that the court will decide my punishment. 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," Yadav told PTI over phone.