Punjab & Haryana HC Slaps ₹2 Lakh Fine on DGP, 3 Senior Officers for Ignoring Order on Modified Vehicles
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a penalty of ₹2 lakh on four senior Punjab officers, including Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, for failing to comply with its previous order related to modified vehicles.
Justice Sudeepti Sharma directed that the amount be recovered equally—₹50,000 each—from the salaries of the four officers and deposited in the Punjab Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
The other three officers held responsible are IAS officer Pardeep Kumar (Secretary, Department of Transport), IAS officer Moneesh Kumar (State Transport Commissioner), and IAS officer Jitendra Jorwal (Deputy Commissioner, Sangrur).
The court issued these directions while hearing a contempt petition filed by Shaheed Bhagat Singh Mini Transport Welfare Association Punjab against the state and others for violating its 2023 order. The earlier order had instructed the government to take strict action against modified vehicles operating in breach of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Justice Sharma noted that the respondents repeatedly failed to submit compliance reports or affidavits despite multiple opportunities. “The last opportunity was granted subject to a cost of ₹1 lakh, yet neither compliance affidavits were filed nor proof of payment was shown,” the court observed in its October 14 order.
The court remarked that this persistent non-compliance demonstrated “deliberate and willful disobedience” by the officers. Instead of obeying the court’s directions, the officials filed two applications—one seeking modification and another seeking recall of the September 2 order—both of which were dismissed for lacking merit.
“The filing of these applications, instead of compliance affidavits, further reflects a casual and contemptuous attitude towards the judicial process,” the order stated.
The court also pointed out contradictions between the challan reports submitted by the police and transport departments, noting variations in the number of vehicles challaned and impounded, which indicated a lack of diligence on the officers’ part.
The matter has been listed for the next hearing on November 27.
