The traffic police and transport department (RTO) have adopted a strict stance to curb road accidents and ensure strict adherence to traffic rules. Often drivers think that if caught over speeding (driving faster than the prescribed speed limit) they can be saved only by filling online e-challan. But under Section 19 of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, Central Motor Vehicles Rules and clear guidelines of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, there is a strict legal provision to suspend the driving license (DL) for at least 3 months along with the challan in case of over speeding.
As per traffic rules, 3 months suspension is imposed by RTO on many serious violations, not just over speeding:
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Over Speeding: Driving at a speed exceeding the prescribed speed limit in the city, expressway or national highway.
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Jumping Red Light: Driving fast by breaking traffic signals.
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Use of mobile phone while driving: Talking, texting or watching videos with a phone in hand while driving.
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Drunk Driving: If caught for the first time, there is a provision of minimum 6 months suspension, heavy fine and jail sentence.
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Overloading and dangerous driving in commercial vehicles: Carrying excess load or repeatedly breaking rules without helmet/seatbelt.
Nowadays, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and laser-based high-speed cameras are installed on all major national highways, expressways and main intersections of big cities in the country:
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Automatic Capture: As soon as a vehicle exceeds the prescribed speed limit (e.g. 60, 80 or 100 km/h), the camera captures its speed and the number plate of the vehicle.
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E-Challan and Recommendation to RTO: E-challan is generated on the mobile of the vehicle owner. If the speed is too high (dangerous driving) or there is repeated over speeding, the traffic police system directly sends the recommendation of license suspension to the concerned RTO.
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Digital Blocking on Sarathi Portal: After the notice is issued by the RTO, the status of the concerned driving license is recorded as ‘suspended’ in the central ‘Sarathi’ database.
If your driving license has been suspended and you are caught driving again during that 3 month period, it is considered a very serious offence:
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Action under section 182: Driving during the suspension period can result in heavy fines (up to ₹10,000) and jail time.
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Permanent Revocation: If you repeatedly ignore the rules, RTO can permanently cancel your driving license, after which you will not be able to get a new license.
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Insurance claim rejected: If an accident occurs during the suspension, the insurance company completely waives any third-party or own damage claims.
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The status on Sarathi portal gets automatically updated after the prescribed 3 month period is over and all pending challans are paid.
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In some states, to reactivate the license, the driver has to submit a certificate of completion of traffic training school or refresher course to the RTO.