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-   -   Fined 1000 rs for not smiling and talking to traffic cops and 50 rs for signal jump! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/99016-fined-1000-rs-not-smiling-talking-traffic-cops-50-rs-signal-jump.html)

Hi Guys

My cousin brother and sister who have just come from states for a vacation were enroute to my residence.They both were on a gearless scooter as they just had to travel around 2-3 kms.

At the signal after concorde on velacheri where the road turns left towards Guindy there my cousin who was riding very slowley at around 15-20 kms jumped the signal and once he went ahead a constable told him to stop and he did stop the scooter.

The constable told him to park the scooter in the side of the road and after checking all documents were in order he told my cousin to pay the fine and my cousin agreed to do so immediately.

He paid the fine and came to my house and was narrating the incident and i saw the paper what was issued to him and it said the fine was 1050 rs!

I was stunned that for a sigal violation the fine is so much!I went with my cousins to the place where the traffic cops were as its quite near and I enquired about the same.

The cop first asked who I was to ask him!I told him I am his brother and for a traffic signal violation its mentioned in the paper you have given as 50 rs then why have u charged him 1050?

So he said he expected my cousin to smile and talk to him and then he would have charged him only 500 rs!My cousin doesnt know tamil so what would he talk? and when my cousin agreed to pay the fine then what else mattered?So the cop said he had booked my cousin under sec 184 which falls under dangerous/rash driving just because my cousin did not talk to him!!

I fail to understand why my cousin should be booked under sec 184?and the cop said dont talk rules to me you can do anything you want to!

Further he also added that breaking a signal consititues dangerous driving but how?!

Does this mean that traffic inspectors can depending on their mood and our inability to pacify their ego book us under any case?

I was really enraged but knew that pursuing this would not go anywhere so I told him this 1000 rs is for you to have biryani today and treat it like a donation from us and walked away from there!

Click a photo of the constable/police, challan details and that of the scooty and give it to the responsible news papers there. Am sure they would be more than happy to publish it. Atleast, would be some embarassment to the police dept.

Seriously, if you are keen & follow it up further, you can submit a written complaint to the police commissioner giving the details. Submit a written complaint, atleast that way, you wouldve done your duty.

The police have been clubbing every traffic offence with Dangerous/Rash driving. Its like a new pay commission! Treat it as Baksheesh and its a lesson learnt the hard way for your cousin.

To be brutally honest, unless you have an answer for "who are you to ask me", there is no point pursuing such fools. Because they'll enter what they wish as your offense and no one is gonna come asking you what actually transpired.

Didn't you brother realize 1050 is way too much for a signal jumping offence? And you can't really argue the signal breaking=dangerous driving because it actually is!

Anyway, hope no one is taken for such a ride by the cops.

To clarify, he was charged 50rs as per challan but had to cough up another 1000 rs as bribe? Why cant people ask for the receipt of the exact amount paid?

If the challan says Rs 50, you cannot prove you paid Rs. 1050. Your brother should have seen the amount before paying.

There is very heavy checking in Chennai these days because of elections. They are even checking all cars at night after opening boot and all!

Try talking to these cops in english, and they treat it like you are shouting at them! :eek:
Guys, check the OP again. He was fined and given Challan for Rs. 1050/- , rash driving!

Same thing happened to me a while ago. I was on my way to Mysore and unknowingly entered a one way.

I was barely doing 20kmph, the speedo wasn't even reading (it starts at 20), and was fined for high speed driving, rash driving, dangerous driving and nuisance to the public. What more could you ask for? :Frustrati .

The good thing is I settled it for 100rs without bill, and moved on. Thats what you can do to save time and effort.

I think the constable have Budget targets layed out by the bosses, and above all the government, they have a revenue target from road fines as well.

Lesson learnt from my personal experience. If you have done a mistake and the fine is huge, and you dont have money, pay the least amount and leave without a challan. If you have done a mistake and the fine is huge, and you have money, check the challan how much is he charging you, whether the reasons made are true or not and then sign the challan, pay and leave with the challan. This challan can be used if you are again get caught by the cops.

If you feel, the cops are cheating you, whatever happens, never ever sign the challan. Once you have signed, it means you have accepted your whatever mistake and need to abide them.

I have once taken a SI for a ride with the vigilance department, but not able to put him behind bar, reason, I have signed the challan. But, made him come to the vigilance department after his duty is over, fully dressed with makeup.

@dhanushs: though it saves time and is the first choice option for everyone, bribing is not at all accepted. You know you have committed the mistake and should have paid the fine.
No offence meant to you but just that we shouldn't promote bribing on the forum.

IIRC, there was a judgement or order stating traffic cops cannot combine or compound traffic offences. That is, if you are stopped for signal violation, that should be the only offence you are challaned - ad not licence / insurance / rash driving. Can someone throw some light?

Well, jumping a signal does constitute dangerous driving; it is one of the main causes for accidents.

Anyway, condemnable it is, whatever has happened.
But since the Rs 1000 extra had been accounted for the Challan, you can't really call it "biccham". Only, 'just an other way for the govt. to loot us'.

"I am a citizen of India and I have rights to stand up to" :D

Sounds interesting; mind sharing the whole story with us? Thanks.
But what if Dhanush was being fined for something he didn't do? @dhanush: Mind telling us what the cop was trying to fine you for? Only then can we comment if what you did was right or wrong.

Nowadays it's up to the constable's whims and fancy.
Sometimes they fine people, and if they are tired they just relax in the shade.
I have seen many people break the signal right in front of the noses, and they are just busy chatting and look away.
It's really sad but true.

@markmytravel, I was drving through the wrong lane and IIRC the fine for it is 100rs. I paid that and moved on.

Oh, and btw, I was at crawling speeds through a junction, and asked this policeman the way towards JSS College. He just showed me a direction where there were two roads - very unspecific. AND I entered the one-way in the wrong direction, and he pounced upon me, as if he was waiting for it to happen. When I questioned, along with the original rule I broke, I was fined for high speed driving, rash driving, dangerous driving and nuisance to the public, which obviously is not possible at speedo reading 10.

Please suggest a possible solution for situations like this. Apart from the 100rs I gave him without bill.

Yes, calling up some 'upper' contacts might help, but is it worth it just for a traffic offense?