Section 200: Composition of certain offences
Motor Vehicles Act • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide
Statutory Regulation
Legal Standard
Competent Court / Tribunal
Act 1988
Motor Vehicles Act • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide
(1) Any offence whether committed before or after the commencement of this Act [punishable under section 177, section 178, section 179, section 180, section 181, section 182, sub-section (1) or sub-section (3) or sub-section (4) of section 182A, section 182B, sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 183, section 184 only to the extent of use of handheld communication devices, section 186, section 189, sub-section (2) of section 190, section 192, section 192A, section 194, section 194A, section 194B, section 194C, section 194D, section 194E, section 194F, section 196, section 198,]
, may either before or after the institution of the prosecution, be compounded by such officers or authorities and for such amount as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf. [Provided that the State Government may, in addition to such amount, require the offender to undertake a period of community service.]
(2) Where an offence has been compounded under sub-section (1), the offender, if in custody, shall be discharged and no further proceedings shall be taken against him in respect of such offence. [Provided that notwithstanding compounding under this section, such offence shall be deemed to be a previous commission of the same offence for the purpose of determining whether a subsequent offence has been committed: Provided further that compounding of an offence will not discharge the offender from proceedings under sub-section (4) of section 206 or the obligation to complete a driver refresher training course, or the obligation to complete community service, if applicable.]
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 200
Section 200 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 authorizes the statutory compounding of designated traffic and transport offences by authorized officers without formal court trials, establishing an efficient summary dispute resolution mechanism while expressly excluding severe offences such as drunken driving and manslaughter.
Always obtain an official electronic compounding receipt bearing the transaction ID and statutory section when compounding traffic violations on the spot or via virtual courts. If a police officer attempts to file a criminal challan before a regular Magistrate after collecting a compounding fee, present the receipt to secure immediate dismissal under Section 200(2).