Delhi Police personnel will have to pay twice the penalty if they violate traffic rules in the national capital, according to an official order issued on September 3, 2019.

The order signed by Joint Commissioner (traffic) Meenu Choudhary citing Section 210B of the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, 2019, states that "any authority that is empowered to enforce the provision of this Act (Motor Vehicles Act, 1988) shall, if such authority commits an offence under this Act, shall be liable for twice the penalty corresponding to that offence under this Act."

"Therefore, all DCPs/Units are directed to brief and sensitise the staff working under their operational control to follow traffic rules and regulations, whether they are riding or driving police vehicles or their own private vehicles," she said in the order.

The Parliament on July 31, 2019, passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks to tighten road traffic regulations such as the issuance of driving licence and imposes stricter penalties for violations in an attempt to improve road safety.

Higher traffic penalties came into effect across the country from September 1, 2019, under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

Delhi Police issued 3,900 challans to traffic rule violators on the first day of the newly amended Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. As the Delhi government has not notified the new rules, traffic police personnel have been issuing court challans for traffic violations.

[Read Order]