PUC Challan Fine 2026: Up to ₹10,000 Penalty & Rules
The short answer
A repeat offence costs Second or subsequent offence: imprisonment up to 6 months, or a fine which may extend to ₹10,000, or both (the mandatory disqualification is written only into the first-offence limb; this repeat-offence wording is unchanged by the 2026 amendment). Section 190(2) itself disqualifies the person from holding a licence for three months on the first offence. Section 206(4) separately obliges the officer to seize the driving licence of a driver believed to have committed a Section 190 offence and forward it to the licensing authority for disqualification or revocation proceedings under Section 19.
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What does the law say about driving without a valid puc certificate?
Section 190(2) penalises any person who drives, or causes or allows to be driven, a motor vehicle in a public place that violates prescribed standards. Clause (i) covers road safety and air-pollution standards — the clause a Pollution Under Control certificate's absence or expiry is booked under; clause (ii) separately covers noise pollution. The 2019 amendment had made a first offence under clause (i) punishable with imprisonment up to three months or a fine up to ₹10,000 or both, plus a mandatory three-month licence disqualification. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act 2026 rewrote sub-sections (1) and (2) with effect from 15 August 2026: a first contravention of clause (i) now draws only a penalty which may extend to ₹10,000 plus the three-month disqualification — imprisonment no longer applies to a first offence. A second or subsequent contravention still carries imprisonment up to six months, or a fine up to ₹10,000, or both. Clause (ii) (noise pollution) now gets a recorded warning for a first contravention and a penalty up to ₹10,000 for a later one.
"Any person who drives or causes or allows to be driven, in any public place a motor vehicle, which violates the standards prescribed,––– (i) in relation to road safety or control of air-pollution, shall be liable for the first contravention with penalty which may extend to ten thousand rupees and he shall be disqualified for holding licence for a period of three months and for any second or subsequent offence with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees, or with both" — Section 190(2)(i), Motor Vehicles Act 1988 (as substituted by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act 2026 (Act 8 of 2026), s.2 and Schedule, w.e.f. 15-8-2026)
How much is the fine?
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| First offence | First offence: a penalty which may extend to ₹10,000, plus disqualification from holding a licence for three months — no imprisonment applies to a first offence since the 15 August 2026 rewrite. Delhi's notified schedule compounds it at the ₹10,000 ceiling |
| Repeat offence | Second or subsequent offence: imprisonment up to 6 months, or a fine which may extend to ₹10,000, or both (the mandatory disqualification is written only into the first-offence limb; this repeat-offence wording is unchanged by the 2026 amendment) |
| Licence impact | Section 190(2) itself disqualifies the person from holding a licence for three months on the first offence. Section 206(4) separately obliges the officer to seize the driving licence of a driver believed to have committed a Section 190 offence and forward it to the licensing authority for disqualification or revocation proceedings under Section 19. |
| Payable online | Yes, on official e-challan portals |
Which states charge different amounts?
| State | Amount |
|---|---|
| Delhi | ₹10,000 for the first and any subsequent offence (115 CMVR / 190(2) MVA) — Delhi compounds at the statutory ceiling |
| Gujarat | ₹500, rising to ₹1,000 on repeat, where no PUC certificate has been obtained (s.177); a measured breach of emission standards under s.190(2) is ₹1,000 for two/three-wheelers and LMVs and ₹3,000 for other vehicles. |
| Karnataka | ₹1,500 for 2W/3W and ₹3,000 for LMV, heavy and other vehicles for breaching prescribed air-pollution standards under s.190(2); the central Act sets ₹10,000. |
| Maharashtra | ₹1,000 for a two/three-wheeler and ₹2,000 for other vehicles, each with a 3-month licence disqualification, rising to ₹3,000 and ₹5,000 on repeat (190(2)) — far below the ₹10,000 central ceiling. Failing to produce a PUC certificate is a lighter ₹500 / ₹1,500 |
| Odisha | ₹10,000 for both a first and a second/subsequent offence for violating air and noise pollution standards under s.190(2) — matching the central ₹10,000 ceiling exactly; the department's separate Pollution Centre penalty page states the same figure for both a first and a 2nd-and-subsequent offence. |
| Rajasthan | ₹500 for a two/three-wheeler or e-rickshaw, ₹1,000 for other non-transport vehicles, ₹1,500 for LMV transport and ₹2,000 for medium/heavy transport; doubled on a repeat offence (₹1,000 / ₹2,000 / ₹3,000 / ₹4,000). |
| West Bengal | ₹2,000 first offence, ₹5,000 second, ₹10,000 third and subsequent - each also carrying a 3-month licence disqualification. Some official charts still show the ₹10,000 statutory figure - the e-challan states the payable amount. |
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Frequently asked questions
How much is the PUC challan actually charged at?
The statute sets a ceiling, not a fixed sum: since the 15 August 2026 rewrite, a first offence draws a penalty 'which may extend to ten thousand rupees'. States fix the compounding amount within that. Delhi's published schedule lists 'W/O PUCC — 115 CMVR / 190(2) MVA' at ₹10,000 for both the first and any subsequent offence, i.e. at the statutory maximum.
Can my licence really be suspended for an expired PUC?
Yes. The first-offence limb of Section 190(2) says the offender 'shall be disqualified for holding licence for a period of three months', and Section 206(4) requires the officer to seize the licence for a Section 190 offence and send it to the licensing authority for disqualification or revocation proceedings under Section 19.
Which rule is a PUC challan actually issued under?
Section 190(2) is the penal provision, but the emission standards themselves sit in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989. Delhi's published schedule books the offence as '115 CMVR / 190(2) M.V.A', pairing Rule 115 of those rules with the Motor Vehicles Act penalty, so a PUC challan normally cites both the rule and the section.
Sources
- indiacode.gov.in — https://indiacode.gov.in/handle/123456789/523295
- indiacode.gov.in — https://indiacode.gov.in/handle/123456789/523314
- indiacode.gov.in — https://indiacode.gov.in/handle/123456789/523307
- traffic.delhipolice.gov.in — https://traffic.delhipolice.gov.in/en/traffic-violations-penalties
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